Black Woman in America
I'm a black woman in America.
Do you know what that means?
That means I can't walk by myself at night or any time of the day without having to worry about the possibility of getting assaulted or harassed.
That means I can't speak up for myself without being told I have an attitude. I'm defensive. I'm overreacting.
That means I can't wear my hair curly or in an Afrocentric fro to a job interview without being turned down or turned back around because that's 'unprofessional'.
That means I have to smile and walk on eggshells around non-black individuals because even though I'm different I'm still boxed into a rowdy category with those who are rowdy individuals.
That means I have to always be looking over my shoulder because the worst to come is always lurking around the corner.
That means I won't be taken seriously whenever I go to the doctor about my concerns about my health because they'll tell me false information just to get my insurance money. Or they'll completely neglect me because I don't matter to them.
That means if I go missing little to no one would come and find me. They'd just leave me for dead.
That means I have to always be armed because there's always a chance, I'll come across a creep that I'll have to fight off because no one else will come and save me.
That means I always have to be wary of the company I keep avoiding gunshot wounds.
That means I'm often oversexualized even if I'm not dressing or carrying myself sexually, but since that's a stereotype that is the assumption.
That means if I call the police, they won't come at all. Or they'll come when it's too late.
Oh, and don't let me need urgent medical care those things will come whenever they want. By then it just may be too late.
That means I'm expected to get pregnant and drop out of school because it has been an ongoing generational curse.
That means I'm most likely to end up as what is known as a 'baby mama' before I'm even considered a wife.
That means I have to work twice as hard to prove that I belong somewhere.
To prove that I'm good enough.
To prove that I matter.
To prove that I'm important too.
This is what it's like being a black woman in America. -J.S.
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