black women Archives - The Race Card Project

Black women will not become extinct

October 4, 2022 advertising, Bellwood, black women, curly hair, extinct, fair skin, false narrative, hair, IL, messaging, skin color, Sonja Williams, White America

Sonja Williams,
Bellwood, IL

As a black woman I continue to see the not so subtle messaging in media and advertising often portraying black women as the fair skin, curly or wavy hair image on the arm of a black man or any other man for that matter.

Black male images are often seen on the arms of any woman other than a “sista”. Unless of course his preference is not women.

America continues to struggle with the confident, educated brown or chocolate woman and are far more comfortable with what is deemed as “easier on the eyes”

Black women have much to contribute and should not be ignored by media in their efforts to reduce the black family to a false narrative of comfort for white america. We desire to be loved as well by a confident, respectful, enlightened black man

Anti-Semitism and anti-white exist

June 30, 2022June 30, 2022 anti-Semitism, anti-white, black women, New York, NY, Sally Ann Siegel

Sally Ann Siegel
New York, NY

I experience anti-white and anti-Semitism occasionally from black women.

Why Not Put My Needs First?

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 black women, DC, deserve, expense, Faith Dow, needs, reciprocity, respect, Washington

Faith Dow,
Washington, DC.

Black women are the benchmark and template for every viable social reform from the past 50 years that others use to advance their own agendas – often at our expense. We deserve respect and reciprocity.

Black. Good hair? Indian in your family?

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021 Black, black women, hair, Indian, LA, New Orleans, obession

Nicole,
New Orleans, LA.

Black women are so obsessed with their hair that it can totally consume their life… “I can’t get in the pool ‘cuz I can’t get my hair wet”. “Girl, I can’t work out and sweat and mess up my hair”. “I can’t buy that. I gotta pay to get my hair done”.
Unfortunately SOME of us are so consumed with it matching society’s view of “nice hair”, i.e…long, soft to the touch, flowing, etc. I have been natural (no chemical relaxer to make it straight), relaxed, natural again and now relaxed again…and neither time did it CHANGE WHO I WAS ON THE INSIDE…but it changed how others chose to relate to me.

Black women can be vulnerable!

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020 Angela Clark Walker, Black woman, black women, Chicago, IL, vulnerable

Angela Clark Walker
Chicago, IL

Not a tool against Black Women.

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 Aaliyah, Betty Rosenda Green, black women, blackface, CA, Chino Hills, dark skin, Hollywood, Movies, Nina Simore, tool, Ze daya Coleman, Zoe Saldana

Betty Rosenda Green,
Chino Hills, CA.

With the recent controversies of Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone in blackface and Zendaya Coleman having been cast originally to play Aaliyah, I believe it is important to see how deep mainstream media like Hollywood work to erase Black Women, particularly with darker complexions specifically in this case, by casting either white Women in the past or having light-skinned Black Women play other Black Women who were of a darker skin tone. It is important to acknowledge this; it is political and there is a colonial history within it. We as Black Women of all complexions must realize and act accordingly to this history to make sure we are ALL seen. I REFUSE TO BE USED AGAINST MY FELLOW BLACK WOMEN.

I’m not the angry black women.

July 16, 2020July 16, 2020 angry black woman, black women, Charlotte, hairstyles, healthcare, NC, overlooked, sexualized, stereotype, Taylor Berry, tired

Taylor Berry,
Charlotte, NC

There’s not much to say. I’m not about to write a novel on a topic that isn’t rocket science. All I have to say is normalize women being able to communicate their feelings without writing them off as “emotional” or “whiney.” Specifically, normalize black women communicating their feelings without being perceived as “angry.”

It’s already bad enough that we as black women are constantly being sexualized yet dehumanized simultaneously for our curvier features. Constantly being made fun and looked over on opportunities for our culturally unique hairstyle all the while watching other women of other ethnicities appropriate our hairstyles and being glorified for it. Constantly being dismissed in healthcare settings which is the reason why we are dropping like flies during childbirth and being disproportionately affected by a global pandemic right now as you read this. We as black women go through all this sh*t and then some but if we dare speak a word on our pain, our tiredness, or our struggles, we are automatically perceived as the angry black women. Baby, I’m not the angry black woman. I’m tired of culture appropriation black woman. The tired of being discriminated against black woman. The tired of being dismissed, black woman. The tired of being overlooked, black woman. The tired of being dealt a poor hand and expected to say nothing back black woman. The tired of being disrespected by everyone black women. The tired of having to instill common sense black woman. The tired of being expected to be a single mom with prison-bound children black woman and so on. No, I’m not angry. Just tired. We’re not angry. Just tired.

Being called sassy is not complementary.

June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 Albuquerque, black women, complementary, NM, sassy, Starr, stereotype, workplace

Starr,
Albuquerque, NM.

Black women are often characterized as sassy which I take as an insult. The root of sassy is sass or to balk, talk back; in order words, to disobey, or not know your place with the not-so-subtle inference that your place is inferior. I’ve been called sassy because I am smart and do not see myself as inferior in any way to any person. That I was called this today at my job by a group of disgruntled employees because I carried out my job as requested was racist as I informed the person who told me that about the comment. There are thousands of ways to disrepect someone one. Black folks all over the world are particularly attuned to the many monikers and mis-characterizations we are assigned when we make people uncomfortable with our inherent abilities, and in many cases, our power. Calling me sassy in the workplace disregards my skills and abilities as a professional. Moreover, it says that I am in the wrong place. Perhaps I am in the wrong workplace, but never am I in the wrong place. #racismcheck #iamnottheone

Threatened because was the white girl.

September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 beat me up, black women, CA, grade, High School, kill me, Laura C, quarter, ROP, San Ramon, the white girl, threaten, threatened, White girl

Laura C,
San Ramon, CA

During high school at ROP I was attacked and threatened as was my a boy friends for being “the white girl” getting too good grades and throwing off the grade curve. In college “black women” would approach me the quarter I dated a black guy and threaten to beat me up or kill me for taking “their guy.” He wasn’t their guy he was his own.

The sky is not the limit

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 1913, aircraft, black history, black women, Elizabeth “Bessie” Colman, first African American, first experience, flight, history, pilot, pioneer, Rhinebeck, segregation, sky is the limit, stunt flying, TRCP Team, Women, Woodrow Wilson

Barnstorming Elizabeth “Bessie” Colman was the first African American to get an international pilots license at a time when women were not supposed to - men would routinely sabotage their aircraft - What really grounded her was that being black meant Bessie was turned away by any American flight school she applied to.

My Black is Best on Me

February 10, 2017February 22, 2021 Allure, Bantu knots, Black, black looks better, black skin, black women, Boxer Braids, Cornrows, Elle, expensive, gele, hair, hair piece, Injections. Street style, Kylie Jenner, Mini Buns, Newark, NJ, sashiki, Shani Ketema, skintone, Tans, teased, thickness, twerk, Vogue, white women

Shani Ketema,
Newark, NJ.

Mini Buns. Boxer Braids. Tans. Injections. Street style. TRANSLATION Bantu Knots, Cornrows, Black skin, thickness and what I’ve been wearing for years cause designer is expensive.

I’m beyond tired of hearing that my black looks better on the bodies of white America. It’s not fair that someone can buy my skintone in a store and spray it on them- especially if all my life I had to hear how bad it was to be colored this way. Especially if it took years for my older sister to love our skin. It’s not fair that my twerk means I have no self respect, but my friend Jenny’s twerk just means she’s having fun killing it. It’s definitely not fair that my hair- locked and curly is a problem on me but not a problem for the white women to whom Elle, Vogue and Allure appeal to. It’s not fair that Kylie Jenner has taken everything that I as a black girl was teased for and made it into something ‘litt’ for her own personal gain. I could go on and on about the other things that are coincidently okay on white women: my a**, my gele (Nigerian hair piece), my dashiki etc etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that black people in blonde weaves and blue contacts isn’t the same thing. It definitely is and I’ll entertain anyone who points that out. I’m just saying that I shouldn’t have to hear that my black looks better on a white woman.

Black Is Just An Insecure Label

February 1, 2017February 1, 2017 7th Grade Trailblazer, angry, ants, Black, black dudes, black women, groups, High Tech Middle Media Arts, insecure, label, loud, myth, nation, R.E.A.L. Talk, race is not real, sassy, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), segregation, settlers, slaves, stereotype, swim, United Nations Educational, violent, wars

R.E.A.L. Talk,
High Tech Middle Media Arts,
7th Grade Trailblazer

To me race is just a made up way to put people in groups, based on the way they look. When did that start to matter? Stereotypes, Racism, Segregation, Slaves, and Wars. Stereotypes are a big part of race and racism. The following are the most common stereotypes for Black people. Blacks` are know to not know how to swim. Blacks are from the ghetto. Blacks all have afros or not done hair. All Black Women are sassy, angry, and loud. Black dudes are super violent by nature. Black people need White people to save them.

It really hurts to think people don’t know the truth about who I really am. Stereotypes really hurt people, I have experience with it many times, I get very hurt thinking that’s what people think about me. Just look at the Doll test. I think that people never really learned the truth about race. In class we busted the myth of race. RACE IS FAKE.

Race is Nothing to Change our Nation

Race is not real. Race is the classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, ancestry, genetics and lifestyle. Well that’s what people used to think. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “All humans belong to the same species and that ‘race’ is not a biological reality but a myth.” When the European settlers/explorers came to america they saw people who didn’t look like the others. I bet you’re thinking well race came first. The settlers decided they were more superior which created racism and then race afterward. Think of it as if you were looking at an ants and you naturally squish the ants most people do. There is no way to tell a person’s “race”, not by skin color hair color or eye color. Race is not Real. Still don’t think so do some research, look it up. Many people would agree with me.

Not all black women are “mad”

November 21, 2016 black women, cheerful, classy, ghetto, mad, mean, PA, Philadelphia, stereotypes, Zadirah Boyd

Zadirah Boyd,
Philadelphia, PA.

Black women has the characteristic of being mad, mean, or ghetto. Not all black women are angry or ghetto. There are some cheerful and classy black women.

Intelligent and black, hated for that.

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 Black, black women, Consuelo, embarrassed, first experience, fit in, GA, hate, intelligent, IW, lazy, stereotype, Stone Mountain, stupid

Consuelo,
Stone Mountain, GA.

This is because the two of the men in my life have dismissed me because I do not fit the ideals of what an ideal women should look like. Their spouses dismiss, disrespect my existence. My father and younger brother believe that white people are the epitome of all that is right, just and beautiful in the world. But I am far more intelligent per IQ than their spouses. They have allowed them to challenge me and I have respectfully placed them in their presences. Because of my skin tone they (father and brother) stopped speaking to me. My brother openly told people he is embarrassed by my existence. His wife publicly stated she hates black women, because they are stupid, nasty and lazy.

Highly educated black woman. …so what

October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 American Dream, black women, educated, education, Grand Blanc, Levaughn, master, MI, MSU, social worker, stereotype, you don't sound

Levaughn,
Grand Blanc, MI.

I’m a master social worker and received my accelerated advanced degree from a top ten university…MSU… I am an outpatient therapist and attained this job in less than a year from graduating. Which in my field is highly unlikely. I have worked very hard to go from poverty to the “American dream” by pulling myself up from my own bootstraps….but truth is…my educational and professional attainment means nothing. I am still viewed as a young educated black woman…..How did she make it this far? You must not be from this area? You speak so well?

My hair is not a weave!

October 12, 2014 assume, black women, Dana, hair, long hair, real, USA, weave

Dana,
USA.

People always assume that if a black women has long hair, it’s not real.

Black woman, Mink coat, Food Stamps

December 1, 2013December 3, 2018 Batavia, black women, food stamps, fur coat, hand-out, IL, James, mink coat

James
Batavia, IL

As a young adult, living on my own and working two jobs to support myself, I was waiting in line at the checkout in a grocery store behind a good looking black woman wearing a full length mink coat, paying with food stamps. At what point should a helping hand stop?

Proud Pentecostal Black Woman in 2013

October 6, 2013 Ashley Gaskew, black women, Madison, pentecostal, proud, UW-M, WI

Ashley Gaskew
Madison, WI

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