Thank you so much for joining me on my substack in celebration of Black Women’s History Week. Poetry is indeed the place where my heart and soul find rest, I’m glad to have rested with you here awhile. Thank you for how you showed up in this space and how, together, we were able to name an undeniable truth…

woman in blue denim jacket holding white and black happy birthday signage

While I’m not a fan of having a start-and-end-date for the celebration of marginalized identities, I know how important it is that we honor and cherish these periods of time. I’ve shifted my personal ethic away from call out culture and arguing for the sake of clout. Earlier this year, I decided to center stories and poetry about growth, grief, revolution, and flourishing. It’s an uncomfortable shift. I’ve learned that algorithms (and the people who create/boost them) reward individuals who argue back instead of the folks who choose their peace. I hate that. What I don’t hate is how I have chosen myself instead of being exploited and wounded by an algorithm’s endless demands in order to perpetuate a narrative of strength and resilience that will ultimately kill us.

In lieu of this, I want us to think about how we will continue to honor those who live in the intersections of Blackness and Womanhood. Within those two categories are an amalgam of experiences — class, sexuality, disability, neurodivergence, education, etc. Many of us have been conditioned to honor the resilience of Black women around the globe without recognizing how we contribute to the conditions in which resilience is needed. I have done it too. I am still learning how to not do this… and I wonder if I’ll ever reach the summit of that education. What I do know is that I cherish my Black girl softness and I want to lead out of it. This is who I choose to be seen, known, and loved. I want us to see, know, and love Black women according to how they want to show up in the world.

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