Another Women's History Month Gone
By Dr. E. Faye Williams
(TriceEdneyWire.com)
- Just like Black History Month, another Women’s History Month has come
and gone. The problem with having a month dedicated to who we are is
that we, Black women, are virtually forgotten by much of society the
rest of the year.
I watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers and magazines, and I look real hard in the mainstream media to find us. Unless
I am watching, listening to or reading Black oriented programs or
articles, I rarely see or hear the story of the Black woman being told
truthfully and fully. Even there, it’s a little tough sometimes. No
matter how talented, how articulate (There’s that word!), hard working,
kind or caring we are, too often we are not shown in our best light. Gangsta’
rappers don’t seem to know anything about us! Sometimes I have to
wonder who their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, spouses or significant
others are because they don’t seem to make an exception for them as they
denigrate all Black women.
The other day I was talking with Lonette
McKee, an extraordinary actress who happens to be Black, and she said
that like me, she has pretty much had it with waiting for Black women to
gain the recognition and respect they deserve. I am, therefore sending
out a plea to all sisters everywhere to say, “Let’s not wait for
another Women’s History Month to recognize and show some love for one
another”. We know who we are, where we have been, and most of us know
where we are going. Let us thank the brothers who understand who we are
and be grateful for that. Let us not worry about the ones who have
lost their way and think the grass is greener on the other side.
Let us begin to tell our own story—even if
just to one another. We don’t have to be validated by others. We can
validate ourselves by being the best we can, by serving our communities
in the best way we can, by keeping a smile on our faces, holding our
heads up high, knowing that we are special. God gave us the endurance
to handle everything that comes our way.
Don’t shy away from the word strong.
It simply means strength, and God knows we have that. How could we have
come through slavery, lynching, segregation, so much humiliation and
degradation and still be among the best educated, hardest working, while
keeping our families intact if we were not strong?
I asked a brother what he thinks of the Black
woman. He said, “I see the Black woman as a source of light that beams,
showing the way to a better life for our people wherever they are, no
matter what is happening in our community”.
I asked another brother, who said, “The most
important entities in our community are the Black woman and the Black
church.” Who do we most often find in the Black church? Voila! The
Black woman!
I wanted to go on asking more brothers what
they think about the Black woman, but it is more important what we think
about ourselves. Let us choose to be mentors to our younger sisters.
Let us not allow them to grow up thinking less of themselves because
they don’t see themselves in beauty magazines often or because their
intellect is not recognized often enough. Let us be proud of our sisters
like Donna Brazile, Professor Melissa Harris Perry, Dr. Mary Frances
Berry, Ambassador Susan Rice, Valerie Jarrett, First Lady Michelle
Obama and others. Let us cheer them on, celebrate them and appreciate
their telling their stories, because their story is our story, too.
Dr. E. Faye Williams is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, and Chair of the Board of the Black Leadership Forum. www.nationalcongressbw.org.
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