A wise teacher once said that we, black descendants of American slavery, have been made ‘a degree below nothing.’ Harsh as it is to say and hear this, the truth yet resonates in the statement and relevant to us in our community and especially to us, Black women.
As a modern collective of women, we find ourselves loudly and proudly celebrating our savage behavior including parading nearly nude in public, using foul and vulgar language, costuming ourselves in wigs, weaves and makeup and not to mention the free and liberal way in which we engage in sexual relations.
And not only do we heap generous praise on our sisters in doing so, but we also viciously attack any who dare encourage us to be virtuous.
We think being humble is weak, being modest is repressive and we misidentify our value in sex or 'hustle.'
We have been made to be a degree below nothing because we do not know ourselves so we misappropriate behaviors, thoughts and attitudes that do not align with the great intrinsic value of a black woman.
This present condition was planned and is the result of intentional actions taken by our former slave masters. Take for example Henry Berry’s statement while speaking in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832 when he said,
“We have as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light may enter the slaves’ mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete; they would then be on a level with the beast of the field and we should be safe.”
In other words, should they destroy all civility, all refinement, all integrity within our people, they, our slave masters would be safe. As it stands today, they are safe indeed.
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