It is spring. A time of brightness, renewal and sweet anticipation about the joys of the summer to come. Yet, as we tend our gardens and plan our getaways, we all know that this year, something is different, especially for Black women. Some of us are finding respite by avoiding the news and strictly limiting any conversation that veers into politics, while others have had no choice but to face what it means to live in this new version of America head on.
You cannot help but hear the rhetoric — even if you have been fortunate enough to be protected from the job losses, attacks on social services and the reversal of many laws that benefited Black women and families. The blatant displays of racism and misogynoir regularly surface online, in the media and in the mouths of some of the most powerful people in our country with a fervor unlike any in recent history.
“We know that these things happen,” said Dionne Stephens, Ph.D., co-author of the book and host of the podcast,“The Psychology of Black Womanhood,” and a professor of psychology at Florida International University. “But in the past, there was a larger pushback. Now it’s being normalized. Now it’s blatant … on a national level.”
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a storm. The question is, how do we weather this disruption and emerge joyful, peaceful, healthy and whole?
“I am never surprised by what I hear, but I am a woman of certain generation,” said Yvette Cozier, Ph.D., an investigator for the Black Women’s Health Study and professor at Boston University. “I recall my grandmother saying, ‘we take a deep breath, and then we step forward,’ but there’s always a piece of us left behind and what is the cost of that piece?”
Thanks to the work of the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) and a body of extensive research on our health, we now know what our mothers and grandmothers likely felt in their bones – the cost of inhabiting an environment infused with race and gender discrimination that is often aimed directly at us is serious damage to our mental and physical health.
Our mothers and grandmothers, who endured Jim Crow and saw their lives change as the Civil Rights Movement unfolded, are less surprised by what this country has returned to. But we were caught off guard by this sudden and unexpected shift. Along with much younger women, who grew up in a world defined by Barack and Michelle, we had begun to believe that the arc of justice would continue to move forward. Instead, we must live with America’s sharp turn to the right and all that it portends.
No matter our stage of life, perhaps the most important thing to remember right now is this is not a time to feel powerless, but to decide how we will choose to protect and nurture ourselves in this moment, while we prepare for what is next.
A wonderful way to begin is to cultivate a joyful life. “In my workshops, I tell people to write down all of the things that bring them joy,” explained Jameta Barlow, Ph.D., a community health psychologist, professor at The George Washington University and a yogini. “For me it’s dancing, karaoke, walking outside or just being with family. And because we are busy women, I say look at your calendar and sprinkle joy throughout your week.”
Barlow’s simple technique is grounded in the idea that we are entitled to be intentional about our happiness. “It’s important to make people understand that they deserve joy. Many Black women were not taught that.”
“At 8 ‘o clock, on my calendar it is my dream time,” Barlow said. “I sit with my tea for the 30 or 40 minutes I have allowed that day, and I dream … and give my ideas space to grow.”
Setting aside a few golden moments each day is a perfect example of embracing mindfulness and self- compassion — a powerful remedy that helps to protect us against racism-related assaults on our health. Cozier also shared that the over the years, BWHS research has shown that engaging in spiritual or religious practices helps to protect the health of Black women.
Beyond the restorative benefits of spirituality and cherished private moments, there is also the comfort that can be found in community. “There is value in creating sanctuary in this embattled time,” said Desiree Cooper, editor of the new anthology “Black Summers: Growing Up in the Urban Outdoors.” The book is a celebration, in part, of how Black Detroit reveled in the pleasures of cookouts, swimming holes and parks to find happiness, even in hard times. Speaking at this year’s National Black Writer’s Conference, Cooper added “Sanctuary, while it can be invented, it is also fragile, so this is a time for building.”
And that is exactly what Black women are doing. “Black women pivot,” Barlow said. “There are a lot of Black women with a lot of skills. We don’t need to depend on others; we can build our own. That’s one example of what I am seeing.”
In response to the stunning job losses among Black women and the elimination of once secure career paths, like those in the federal government, “some Black women are also reimagining what labor looks like to them,” said Danielle Dickens, Ph.D., a professor at Spelman and co-author of “The Psychology of Black Womanhood.”
“Now, they are not just seeking job safety, but psychological safety.”
Through the creation or expansion of networks, Black women are remaking the career success roadmap. They are supporting each other through organizations like the Black Woman Bliss Community and events like the upcoming Job Liberation Virtual Summit for Black Women.
Like Berry, Dickens also emphasizes the value of creating safe spaces rooted in our culture. “It’s so important for Black women to be in community with each other and have moments when you don’t worry about anything else. And there is just something about being around other Black women. … It’s not perfect, but it can really feel like sisterhood.”
The effort to come together does not need to be complicated. Dickens found her crew in the Flygirls, a group she discovered on Instagram. “We work out virtually, travel, play pickle ball. … Now we are like family.”
“We, as Black women, also don’t need to respond to everything,” Stephens said. “We need to seek out our allies … and do what brings us equal amounts of joy and respite.”
Whatever path you choose to cultivating peace, “be intentional about putting yourself first. We have to attend to different aspects of ourselves, but be present instead of worrying about the past and what is to come,” Dickens said. “We are living in very unusual times. We must give ourselves grace.”
“I have so much hope for the future, because I just know it’s all going to work out,” Barlow said. “My dad always told me: ‘Life has peaks and valleys, but when you are in a valley, get ready because you’re coming up on a mountaintop.’”
Sheree Crute is editor-in-chief of FierceforBlackWomen.com.
Photo: Delmaine Donson, Getty
