So tumblr user mcharrilennostarr asked me to come up with a list of things to help empower women of color. I took a bit of time to think about it and here’s what I came up with.
- I will hold my head high when people expect me to be looking down at my shoes
- I do not exist within the confines of your stereotypes
- I will fight against the status quo when the status quo alienates me
- I will not smile when I do not want to smile
- My body is mine and only mine If I share it with you that is a privilege and not a right
- I do not exist as your sexual fantasy
- I will recognize that those in power will never give me the tools I need to overthrow them. I will find those tools myself.
- I will not be your caretaker. Your mother, your mammy, your nanny. You will need to learn to take care of yourself.
- I will take care of myself first
- I will not listen when I’m told white people and men are more intelligent than I am. They aren’t and I’ll prove it.
- When I am tired I will say I’m tired. When I am sad I will say I’m sad. When I am weak I will say I’m weak.
- I will love who I want to love
- I will laugh in the face of my oppressors when they try to tell me it is me who is oppressing them by daring to speak out against them
- Sometimes I may be the damsel in distress. That is a right that I am entitled to. Sometimes I will cry for assistance and expect to be helped.
- I will abandon eurocentric beauty ideals
- I am not your one-night-exotic-stand. You say you’re feeling feverish over me? I hope the illness kills you.
- I will not submit to you because you do not own me
- I can be feminine if I want to. I can dress how I want to.
- I am always on the team that protects and empowers women of color
- Decolonization is a daily struggle. When I feel like I am drowning I will reach out for help from my sisters. When I feel as though I can no longer stand I will ask for a shoulder to lean on. I know that I am not alone. There are millions of women who are standing with me.
Please add to the list if you think of more!
