Every year, The President of The United States has a State of The Union address. He speaks about where the county is and where the country needs to go. This speech gives the country an opportunity to understand what needs to be done and how we all can accomplish those goals. For anyone who has a Black woman in their life — this article is her State of the Black Woman address. Read this to understand how to make a true difference in her life.
The life and journey a Black woman take cannot be deeply appreciated until it is broken down and examined. There is no other person in America who can say they have been a major part of every moment in the US except for Black women. They were a part of:
- the Suffragette movement and Blacks’ right to vote,
- the Labor movement,
- confronting and caring for those with HIV/AIDS and, finally,
- the civil rights movement.
Black women have had to fight for everything they have ever gotten. They have endured more than any other woman on the planet. Just to be on the same page, let’s go over the struggles of the Black woman. She was ripped from her homeland over 400 years ago and forced into slavery where she was beaten, raped, deprived, and degraded. Her male counterpart was killed in front of her or reduced to nothing so she could not depend on him.
She had been unpaid or barely paid mother to America, raising its kids, cooking its dinners, and cleaning up after a country that never showed her any gratitude or respect. The Black woman has always been the voice of reason and the calm in the room. Her efforts have never truly been appreciated although the Black woman has put everyone before her. Her man, her kids, her goals, her dreams, her equality — they all took a back seat just to keep the peace, make things easier for everyone, and to literally survive.
Fast forward to today and consider what the Black woman is dealing with now. In no other culture is a woman asked to do more. Black women today have the single most difficult job in the community. She has become the backbone of black pride, black dreams, and black progress. Gone are the Black male leaders such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jim Brown.
But it doesn’t stop there. Only in Black culture is the Black woman outpacing her counterpart. The Black woman makes more than her counterpart, is more highly educated than her counterpart, and quite often, the decision maker in the house. And in some cases, the Black woman is taking care of her grandkids and/or a parent(s) at the same time.
These attributes come at an incredible cost for the Black female. She is one of the most misunderstood people in America. This misunderstanding comes from her perceived attitude and rough exterior. Although that stereotype is justified, it is also a symptom of a much deeper problem when discussing the Black woman.
No other race of females has been abandoned like the Black woman. Her man is often absent in her life. The Black woman must kill the bug, change the tire, work the job, cook the meal, change the diaper, and protect the house all by herself. That rough exterior we all see is her work clothes that she never gets to take off. The attitude we all experience is the mentality it takes to survive in a world that continually tries to take you for granted.
So now that we have a better understanding of where the Black female is, where do we go from here? What kind of future can a Black woman expect? What actions need to take place to make the world of the Black female better?
EASIER SAID THAN DONE
There is no magic potion available that can fix the problems in the Black community and of the Black woman. But with the understanding that we can all do better, we can address some available options that can make her life easier moving forward. First, Black men need to step up and honor, respect, and protect their Black female counterparts.
Black men — if you have a mother, sister, daughter, wife or Black girlfriend, your job is to become a support system for them. Black men can help the Black female by getting their own act together. Create a better environment for her by getting your career, credit, decision-making together. She does not have time to raise an already grown man. If you are going to create a better situation for her, create that by becoming a better man yourself.
Any employer who reads this and has a Black woman on your staff — your job is simple: equality is a real thing. Treat her with the respect you, yourself, expect to be given. She loves her job, support that by giving her the salary and accolades she deserves. Her loyalty to you should be returned with a better salary, the promotion she deserves, and the mutual respect she covets.
To society itself — the Black woman continues to be the backbone of America. Her leadership, in the absence of none, is still the fuel for our nation. Her cultural dominance has never been stronger. The Black woman is at the center of everything with flavor and taste, and she continues to influence popular culture.
To anyone else who consistently has a Black woman in their life — remember that she is the movement. Period. Honor her with unyielding support. That support will allow her to soften, to become what she was always meant to be, a queen. Her grace and beauty will shine brighter. Her softness will extend beyond her children, and her forgiving nature will have a chance to do more than just peek out.
The Black woman’s future will flourish with the support and respect of American society. We all owe her our undying gratitude for what she has put up with for over 400 years. It’s time to change the narrative by giving her what is rightfully hers: honor, dignity, equality, respect, and esteem. ●
