06/07/2020
I remember growing up with people believing that I would immediately fit their expectations of being a loud crazy black woman. Instead I was a quiet confused young black lady.
I remember being in schools and workplaces, and people again believed I would act a certain way, and upon meeting me would say “you don’t act black” or “you act white”. Instead I was just acting like myself, or so I thought.
When you are the token black person, you begin to wonder if you are acting like yourself, genuinely, or acting like how others made you feel you needed to act.
I remember being the only black woman in certain workplaces or being the only young black women, with expectations of me before I even started the job. The expectation that I would represent diversity or represent all young black women.
Overtime, these layers weighed me down so much I didn’t recognize myself for years. Looking back, I see that I lost myself. Second guessing yourself, at a young age into adulthood, you realize the image of the stereotypical black woman was forced upon you. You couldn’t be just YOU. The YOU had to change, when in reality OTHERS had to change.
Question of the Day: Did You Know, that there are heavy stigmas around black women in both mental and behavioral health? How micro-aggressions weight on black women and men’s mental health?
“Racism is a form of trauma that disproportionality affects Black women (and men). Trauma in the form of racism can be directly or indirectly experienced. Driving while Black, shopping while Black, and everyday racial micoraggressions are direct examples of racial trauma.” (Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett, Professor of Psychological Sciences and Director of the Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders among African Americans at Kent State University)
Take a moment to really think about this. Your actions and words hold more meaning than you think, and can have long-term effects.
