Sometimes we align with people because we believe we share values. But values that haven’t been tested by deprivation often lack depth. Women
Sometimes we align with people because we believe we share values.
Photo by Chris McIntosh
But values that haven’t been tested by deprivation often lack depth.
Women — especially women of darker hue — are the people on this planet with the least access to resources.
That didn’t happen by accident. It was designed.
Centuries of policies, cultural conditioning, and systemic exclusion ensured that women, and particularly Black and brown women, would stand at the edge of wealth, watching others drink first.
So when we enter political or community conversations, we must listen closely.
Notice how people talk about money.
Do they believe that poverty is a moral failure? Do they believe in criminalizing poverty?
How should women who suddenly become disabled (or differently disabled) be treated?
Do they think those who struggle financially “just don’t work hard enough”?
Because when someone believes that money equals virtue, they will have little compassion for those who have been locked out, pushed out, or worn out by forces beyond their control.
They will not see:
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Chronic illness
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Surviving abuse
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Generational trauma
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Racial and gender bias
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Accidents, caregiving, or displacement
They will only see the absence of money — and assign it the weight of sin….or something.
That’s why every woman must have sharp, 20/20 vision on what she believes about wealth, work, and worth.
Know your values so well that no one can sell you shame in the name of success.
Know the difference between effort and exploitation.
Know when “hard work” is being used as a weapon to justify inequality.
The clearer your sight, the harder it is for the world to confuse you.
You may be looking at the crystal ball and seeing how they may treat YOU in the future.
Every single one of us is a fragile moment away from a drastic life change.