July 24, 2008
As part of its ongoing efforts to educate area residents about mental health and social-emotional wellness, the Evanston-based Mental Health Association of the North Shore sponsors an essay contest for young adults.
First prize of $750 went to Sarah Wagener of Lake Forest High School.
Over the past century the media has been able to shape the view of women, particularly the African-American woman.
Not to toot my own horn here, but the awareness and analysis behind this essay is what Black Girl Tees is all about. If I never made a dime from this project, I would still walk away happy and excited that our girls and women implicitly know their worth, their beauty, and don't fall for popular culture's propaganda about us. We are so much more than video vixens and angry black women, as the media would have us to believe. But if we don't believe that for ourselves, then we are doomed to become the stereotype that we are labeled as.
Let's not sit idly by while that happens. Let's applaud Brigitte Viard and girls like her; and let's help other girls, and our beautiful sistahs, to know that their individual and collective worth is valued among rubies.
Labels: black girls, self-esteem, standard of beauty
I know how hard it is to be a black female in today's society. If you're a woman, you face racism and sexism in order to get ahead in your career; dismal statistics abound regarding your love life and likelihood to marry; images surrounding you suggest that your beauty is not revered; add to that the stress of being an entrepreneur, wife, mother, sister or daughter. Some of you throw social organizations, church and volunteering into the mix. No wonder that a sistah is sometimes tired!
The situation for our girls is just as bleak. They're growing up in an era where music videos and big budget films help them to assign their self-worth. They must aim high in school, in sports, and in life in ways that the information age has made decidedly different than our upbringings. On top of that, they may see the struggles of their mother and big sisters and come to feel that this is also their legacy.
I am like you. I know what it is to carry around these burdens daily. I also feel the sting of sometimes feeling 'not thin enough', not privileged enough or just plain not enough. One thing that we do have, however, is each other.
This is a place for us. Sure, there are other blogs that address the black female experience in America. But what's one more voice on our side? There can never be too many avenues of support for our dreams, our efforts and our future. That's what this blog is all about. Together, let's step outside of the constraints that mainstream society has placed on us, and highlight our own beauty, accomplishments, intellect and vision. After all, if we don't do it, it will never get done.
