Black Women Are Not Martyrs/Saviors/Superheroes: It Is Not Our Job To Save The World
There is this expectation that Black women are here for the purpose of saving the world. We are supposed to carry it and all its burdens (like mules) on our backs/shoulders.
We are deemed its superheroes
Its saviors
Its martyrs
Yet, we do not possess superpowers.
Even the often extolled “Black Girl Magic” is simply a mixture of the expectation of being 10 times better, working 100 times harder, knowing that we cannot afford to make a mistake because it will be deemed a testament about our entire community, sprinkled with pushing down our exhaustion and denying our vulnerability.
The “Magic” does not serve us well, but is scooped up and greedily consumed by others — -with no concern for how it got here
Within all realms of society, there is this demand that Black Women step up and save us all
Although I agree with the argument that it is time for Black women to stop just being the Backbone of the Democratic Party, and to become more of its face,
I cringed when Kamala Harris was selected, and the commentary again became the belief that a Black Woman would sacrifice herself to redeem an organization that had only given us crumbs before
And we had to scrounge for those
The push for Michelle Obama to “run” for President at the beginning of this election cycle because “we needed her”, without caring that we had previously put her in a position where she had to suffer in silence as the world attacked her very personhood
Because, it was about what was best for everyone
Except Michelle
Black women are expected to be martyrs for
Feminists movements
Racial Justice movements
Political Movements
Within our community
And even Corporate America (when things have become so jacked up after years of mismanagement — but our sister should come in and fix it in weeks)
Even when we are put in positions of power, it is under the guise of “we need you”
Need
Not Want
We are to die on the altar of self-sacrifice, prioritizing of everyone else, and minimizing our own needs
Black Women ae lauded for being martyrs,
Because our emotional and physical deaths are acceptable collateral damage
Black Women will save the world
But who will save us?
#BlackWomen #BlackWomenMentalHealth #BlackGirlMagic #MichelleObama #KamalaHarris #Politics
Dr. Dent is a licensed psychologist. Her hardest job is being a Black Woman who centers the experiences of Black women and girls. She has served on boards and committees in various organizations where she tries to improve them — — but not be held accountable for “saving them”. She is not magical.