What It Means To Be a Black Woman

By: Nabilah Shuaib

In Africa, the word ‘black’ has virtually no meaning. After all, everyone in my family is black. Everyone in my country is black. Most people in my continent are black so what’s the point of the word? I once read in a book called ‘Americanah’ (written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Check it out.) that the world black only came to exist when you went to America. When there were Hispanics, whites, Asians etc that the word ‘black’ came to be applied to dark-skinned people.

One of things I love about America is the diversity. The fact that there are so many kinds of people living with each other. Like a blend of different cultures. It gives me this wonderful, warm feeling. But then I suddenly remember that there is a hierarchy and at the very bottom of the list is not black people, but black women.

As black women, we are not only faced with the problems of racism but also sexism. For some strange reason, the whole world wants to paint us in ugly colours. On TV, they make us angry women, aggressive women, weak women. In music videos, our female stars feel the need to show as much skin as possible. It has become something normal and we expect it of them. I always wonder why the women who choose to play these roles are fine with it and I ask myself if they know it impacts all of us. If they realise that while they get money, we get insults flung at us from all directions.

In school, the blacks are not expected to be smart. The law of the universe states that black people should always be second-best and we should take nonsense from people quietly. We should sit in the back of the class and do nothing but forget to turn in homework and be exceptionally rude to teachers. Black girls are the ones that wear booty shorts and crop tops that smack gum and gossip in the corners. We are the ones who are difficult and have too much attitude.

To be pretty you must have long hair, fair skin and a slim body-the European version of beauty. When I was eight years old at the time of Obama’s election, I wondered if he would have stood a chance if he was a woman. Probably not; because we have been portrayed as so many horrible things that it would become something of a scandal for the president of the United States of America to be (cue, horrified gasp) a black woman!

On social media, I see that black women are being portrayed as sex toys and prostitutes. They are the women dancing around poles in music videos and twerking like there’s no tomorrow. We are always second-choice and we are not very appreciated. I spoke to an expatriate at my school on this topic of how black women are portrayed by the media and he said that he felt that ‘they are undervalued and underrepresented.

There is massive exploitation and they don’t have as many privileges as white women.’ A friend schooling in Atlanta was called an ‘Oreo’ by her white classmates because she didn’t act black. What does that mean? Because she doesn’t dress indecently, is not aggressive and is quiet suddenly she becomes a biscuit. Because she’s not a slutty, attention-seeker she doesn’t ‘act black’. Am I the only one that sees the problem with this?

A friend once told me that on twitter, he saw a picture of a black woman and the caption of the photo was ‘How ugly people see themselves.’ If you ask a white person if there is still racism, he will say no because apartheid and lynching are abolished and therefore there is no more racism. There is no obvious racism but it is still very much alive and if black people dare to speak against it, we are accused of being racists as ironic as that sounds. It’s like no one sees the subtle prejudice.

However, contrary to what the tabloids say, this is not what it means to be a black woman. It does not mean that we are only sexual beings or aggressive women. It means that we are strong and confident and we always stand up for what we believe in. We don’t let anyone walk over us like rugs. Despite discrimination against us, we make our voices heard.

Which other First Lady in the world is active as Michelle Obama? She appears on TV shows for kids, is a fashion icon and the thing I love her most for was when she held a piece of paper with the words ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ scrawled on it. She is a woman of great character. I quote a classmate in saying ‘being a black woman is a great thing. It gives me drive to fight for black freedom and against racism’. Being black women gives us power. Being black women makes us Mistresses of Melanin. Queens more radiant than a thousand suns.

We are special in a way that no one else is and that’s what makes us who we are. We have the ability to smile even when things are looking bad and we dare to hope. Our skin comes in different shades the way our personalities do. We are smart, gorgeous, different. Our natural hair is shaped in such a way that it forms a halo around our faces and I take that as a sign. Some of us might be loud, chatty, tall, skinny, short whatever but we do have something in common. Our melanin. Do not consider your melanin a curse but consider it one of the greatest gifts God has given you. Just because the paintings of angels are white does not mean we are demonic creatures because we are black. ‘Despite current sexism especially in Africa, we have been able to standup for our rights, ‘ a classmate told me.

Being a black woman means that we feel more than anyone else. We love more, we cry more, we laugh more. We are more. Just like our manes of untameable hair, we cannot be controlled by anyone. Are blacks not the ones that turned the word ‘nigger’ into something of a playful slang? Something of a slap in the face for those who created it? A backfire to white slave traders? We are a race that cannot be ignored.

We made history during the 1968 Olympic games when Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the famous black power salute. Oprah Winfrey is one of the greatest TV personalities that have ever lived. Fela Kuti created his own genre of music, Afrobeat. Barack Obama became the first black president of America in 2009. The current leader of OPEC(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a Nigerian woman. Ze3ndaya Coleman became a Barbie doll, complete with dreadlocks. So you see, being a black person is nothing short of wonderful. We change the world with our actions.

When you’re done reading this article, go to the mirror and look yourself right in the eye and repeat after me ‘I am a mistress of melanin and a queen more radiant than a thousand suns. I am special in a way that no one else is. I am a black woman.’

As a wise woman once said, ‘You woke up like this, flawless’.