I can't remember the exact age I was when someone told me I was doing too much - I think I was about 3 years old. So many Black women - really all women - are told that they're taking up too much space. We're told to make ourselves small so we can make others comfortable. And for Black women, it seems the world is determine not to see us.
Black women often experience the hyper-visibility and invisibility paradox, https://buff.ly/3SW00Si which means because our identities are far from the dominant group we are under-estimated and hyper-surveilled at work. AND we also experience erasure. Research shows you are less likely to remember the faces and names of Black women or remember what we say in meetings. https://buff.ly/3P0vFRm Our work is less likely to be cited and we are more likely to not receive credit for our work. https://buff.ly/4bUJL0k.
And so today, I'm going to take up space and give myself some flowers! I'm grateful to myself for taking a bet on myself and building my business. Entrepreneurship is not easy but I love getting to work with people to create more liberatory ways of working and leading. I am grateful that I have continue to do my own work to distangle myself from the trappings of oppressive work practices by working with more ease and finding more space for joy and rest. Being a free Black woman who takes up space, is in and of itself an act of resistance. Take up space, y'all. And give Black women their flowers. https://buff.ly/3wze7p3
This #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm celebrating 29 Black women who have influenced me through the ways they pursue their own liberation. Black women's work is often unrecognized and not cited, and this month I'm determined to pass out a few flowers to Black women. #Day29 #29LoveLettersToBlackWomen #GiveBlackWomenTheirFlowers