A Message To My Sistas...

Hey Sista! 

Yeah, I'm calling you out.

Why are you so hard on me?

Ain't I like you?

Doesn't life come from me just the same?

Are we equally not subjected to shame?

Always reminded we're less than.

Never equal to a man.

Hardly human.

Oh, I see

You're a "lady".

Quaint and quiet. 

Pleasant and easy.

Repression misconceived.

But a "lady", nonetheless. 

And you look down on me,

Your sista!

You scold me,

My self-awareness,

My appetite for life, 

Resistance to control,

The embrace of my sexuality. 

Hey sista! 

My sista! 

Ain't I like you?

Made of the same parts.

Bearing the load,

Getting none of the credit.

Overlooked.

But you separate from me,

Your sista. 

You reject the strength of our sisterhood. 

You reject the strength within you.

Happily repressed.

Proud to be a "lady"

and ashamed to be a woman.

That would make us too much alike...

...right?

#MyFeminismLooksLike Janie. Like Sula. I have an understanding of my womanhood and what that means to me. I am, in essence, a "free spirit". And I am shamed for it. I mean, at this point, patriarchy and misogyny are so deeply rooted that it's a given that I should be judged by a man. But by my sister, as well?

Black women's sisterhood is very strong when combating male misogyny. We're able to stand together to dispute ideas of what a woman should be placed on us by men. Black men, specifically.

But then...

When it comes to one another, the bond of sisterhood detaches and we become enemies. The most interesting aspect is that more often than not, our distaste for each other is brought on by the same injustices that cause us to stand together.

We tell men not to label us or box us in, but then We use those same labels against each other.

• "She's as hoe" if she has slept with a number of men YOU deem extreme.
• "She's a ratchet bitch" if she does something YOU can't understand and therefore don't agree with.
• "I'm wifey material and you aren't because you can't cook, clean or sex your man on demand"....
• The never ending light skin verses dark skin war.

Even down to the way we wear our hair. (Natural ain't for everybody or weaves are girls who have no hair/ want to be something they're not).

It's almost as if we've not only embraced, but pride ourselves on these patriarchy ideals. These damaging ideals. These demeaning ideals. The same ones we fight men against.

Patriarchy is defined as a social system in which males are the primary authority figures, implying the institutions of rule and privilege while entailing female subordination.

Patriarchy is so deeply rooted socially and politically that it has become the norm. Misogyny, hatred or dislike for women and/ or girls, has become the norm. Unknowingly (and sadly sometimes willingly), we've become the same misogynist we stand together to defend ourselves against. We've allowed stigmas to become our reality.

Judging each other.

Anyway, just wanted to share my poem...

peace.