Too often, conversations about Black women and feminism revolve around what white women did or didn’t do for us.But that centers them, when what we’
Too often, conversations about Black women and feminism revolve around what white women did or didn’t do for us.
But that centers them, when what we’ve always been doing is centering us.
We weren’t looking to sit in white women’s seats.
We were—and still are—building whole new rooms.
Not for validation.
But for life. Voice. Healing. Power.
✊🏽 1. We Were Not Trying to Be Them. We Were Trying to Be Free.
Black women didn’t need white models of femininity to know we were women.
Our womanhood was already rooted in ancestral memory, survival, care work, love for our being, and cultural strength.
What we longed for wasn’t a pedestal—it was space to live, mother, rest, lead, and be heard.
We wanted dignity on our terms—not anyone else’s reflection.
👂🏽 2. We Wanted to Be Heard, Not Compared
In healthcare, we wanted our pain taken seriously—not dismissed by stereotypes.
In politics, we wanted protection—not to become symbols or tokens.
In movements, we wanted solidarity—not to be background labor.
It wasn’t about being like white women—it was about being fully seen as we were naturally created, without having to shrink or explain ourselves.
🛑 3. Too Much Focus on White Women Misses the Point
While it’s true that white women often ignored or excluded Black women, that’s not the whole story.
The real story is how Black women still rose, still built, still innovated, still invented, still created, still saaanng, still nurtured, still cared, still cooked, still taught, still led, still overcame, still loved, still lifted, still fought, regardless of who noticed.
Focusing too much on white neglect centers whiteness again—and we’re done doing that.
🕊️ 4. We Are Still Building—And We’ve Never Needed Permission
We are still building spaces where Black girls feel soft, protected, and powerful.
We are still demanding medical care that respects our bodies and choices.
We are still telling our stories, through art, policy, advocacy, and love.
Not in reaction to white women.
But in devotion to ourselves.
🧕🏽 Final Thought:
Black womanhood doesn’t need a co-sign.
It stands, braided with history, laced with survival, full of divine knowing.
✨ Affirmations: Rooted, Whole, and Free
I do not need to mirror anyone else to be a full woman. I am already complete.
My voice carries the weight of truth, the rhythm of survival, and the beauty of legacy.
I am not reaching for their table—I am building altars of my own, rooted in honor and truth.
My existence is not a reaction. I am a beginning, a continuation, and a sacred becoming.
I do not need to be softened, rewritten, or explained. I deserve to be heard as I am.
Even when unrecognized, I remain irreplaceable. I know who I am, and that is enough.
I am building futures that begin with my name, my story, and my people. And that is power.
