Black Womens Blueprint

It’s 2015 in Daytona Beach, a young girl from Florida looks at herself in the mirror not knowing how to accept herself, yet she is told she is beautiful, but she doesn’t feel beauty. Growing up in a small town she has gone through being called monkey, being told she is too black and not beautiful. People would pick on the way she spoke, “You think you’re better then everyone?” Something they would taunt her with since she was well spoken and in all honor courses. This young lady couldn’t find herself blinded by societies expectations, too good for black people and not black enough for the white people. She didn’t understand what society wanted of her, not realizing her black is beautiful and her knowledge could change the world. A lot of black women have lost themselves do to society and the expectations of a women, especially black women. There are black women who are afraid of childbirth or even going to the doctor to ask for birth control since many doctors do not believe a black women’s symptoms, their pain is hidden by their strength; not wanting to go to mental health doctors, doctors rather prescribe medicine before listening to them.

Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player. The Women's Tennis Association ranked her world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017. A few months ago, she gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia. Williams spoke about having serious birth complications after having her daughter. In 2011 Williams went under surgery for a life-threatening embolism, after the birth of her daughter in 2017 she began to have shortness of breath, she made her nurse aware of all her symptoms, however the response she received was not one she expected; her nurse told her she was delusional and it was the medication that was making her feel that way. Williams repeatedly told them to do a CT Scan where there the doctors found several blood clots in her lungs, which is when they rushed her to emergency surgery. Why aren’t black women’s symptoms believed, according to an article with NYTimes, What Serena Williams’s scary childbirth story says about medical treatment of black women, “Williams’s harrowing account places her among the 50,000 women (an estimate that researchers say could be on the low end) in America who deal with dangerous or life-threatening, pregnancy-related complications each year. Black women are disproportionately likely to face these complications, and they are also more likely to fall victim to America’s ongoing maternal mortality crisis, being three to four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related complications.” (Lockhart, P.R. “What Serena Williams's Scary Childbirth Story Says about Medical Treatment of Black Women.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 11 Jan. 2018). When it comes to medical advice from providers, they either don’t know the answer, or one must ask a thousand questions to know what’s wrong with them. When a woman of color needs information regarding her health, it’s sad a person must go in circles in order to get accurate information on their health.

Black women must show strength when they want to put their head down. They are held to so many standards; they have a blueprint sent by their ancestors only for society to make assumptions about them. Society doesn’t see these women for who they are, they are so much more than ignorance and attitude. Throughout the years these women have not only had to deal with society standards, yet standards in their own community. However, one may ask, “Well isn’t it their choice?” It is but it’s a back and forth mental battle with themselves, for example the young lady in the first paragraph at the young age of twenty-one years old she is still trying to tell herself that society doesn’t make her. A lot of black women feel shame when wanting to see a psychologist, not only does it feel out of norm, there aren’t enough of African American psychologist who can relate and make them feel comfortable, Dr. Burnett-Zeigler is a clinical psychologist “I am the only black female clinical psychologist on the faculty of the department of psychiatry at Northwestern University, and black women often come to me in secret, feeling alone and embarrassed. They come despite friends and family telling them to “just pray.” They come because they are “desperate” and “can’t take it anymore.” I often get requests for informal consultation via email, LinkedIn, even Facebook. They’re skeptical about mental health treatment. They don’t want therapy, just to talk, and maybe get some advice.” (Burnett-zeigler, Inger E. “The Strong and Stressed Black Woman.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2018).

It’s okay to not be okay, our own community and society expect us to have it all together. Expect to get over pain and being the underdog in all situations. It is okay to not be okay. There is no need for them to be happy because they have a pretty smile. Black women have emotions that no one would be able to understand, “Black women are already the most marginalized, oppressed, violated and lowest paid of all groups. And, to top it off, molds have been crafted by patriarchy and society to define behaviors, characteristics and appearances.” (Shamase, Nelly. “Black Women, Define Yourselves.” The M&G Online, 29 Jan. 2016).