Hey Sis!
If you’re here, I’ll assume it’s because you’re a “Strong Black Woman” in recovery, such as myself. Now, in case you’re thinking, “Umm I am not in anybody’s recovery!” I got you, boo! It took a while for me to come to terms with it myself, so give me a minute to explain what I mean when I say “recovery.”
Pastor Google says it like this, “recovery is a process, not an end state. It’s a series of steps a person takes to make life better physically, mentally, and spiritually. While in recovery, one is equipped with a sense of purpose, connection, and the ability to reach their full potential.”
See sis?? That wasn’t that bad now, was it?? I pray the lightbulb went off for you as it did for me when I began to embrace what it means to be a SBWR. We are a community of women who are DONE taking pride in being dubbed a “Strong Black Woman.” Now don’t get me wrong, the title in and of itself is not bad but, Sis if we’re being honest the implications of wearing this title have caused us years of pain that we cannot get back!
When we adopted this title, most of us didn’t realize that we were inadvertently placing pride in how much pain we could endure. We didn’t realize how that pride would cause us to ignore our innate femininity. How it would cause us to seek validation through carrying the burdens and struggles of others as if they were our own and then have the nerve to be too stubborn to ask for help! We didn't consider how we would neglect our self-care and pass on this dysfunctional mentality to our daughters!
Ultimately, being an SBW has caused us to become our own worse enemy! IJS Sis, we blame others for how they’ve treated us, but if we truly reflect, how many of our battle scars were due to self-inflicted wounds? Wounds that resulted from our bad decision-making due to a misplaced sense of identity. We forgot that WE ARE THE PRIZE!!! Not just the prize, WE ARE FREAKING ROYALTY!!
It’s time for women everywhere to make this our LAST STOP on the struggle bus!! Ring the bell because it’s time to get off, boo!
It’s time to heal (so you can be whole)
It’s time to thrive (No more surviving)
It’s time to be vulnerable (it’s OK, we got you)
It’s time to be HUMAN (yes, feel all the feels)
It’s time to take your place on the throne! (Yes, you!)
NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, JOIN THE MOVEMENT OF WOMEN WHO HAVE DECIDED TO TRADE THEIR CAPES FOR THEIR CROWNS!!