Be A strong Black Woman – Don’t Be Easily Intimidated

You may have caught wind of social media being in an uproar with the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork trending after Maxine Waters was publicly criticized by Bill O’Reilly. Her response? “I am a strong black woman and I cannot be intimidated.” Seeing her confidence was so encouraging and left me with the permission to be confident, regardless of ANYONE’S opinion. If you missed what I’m referring to, catch the synopsis in the video below.

I recently shared that I’ve had self-confidence issues from time to time here, and being publicly ridiculed would pretty much guaranteed have sent me packing and hiding out in some dungeon somewhere, lol. To proclaim that not only am I not intimidated, but I’m also not going anywhere is a lesson for everyone to embrace for sure. If there’s one thing I know it’s that things are rarely about us. Waters may have spoken for herself, but what she did for many women out there is to be a great example of a strong black woman. Strong women are confident women. It’s possible to simultaneously be confident and humble. Someone once told me to “do it like you have nothing to prove.” If you’re confident in you, you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You know your worth.

Whatever it is, in whatever field, you don’t need to have a chip on your shoulder. You simply need to be and do what comes to you. Your God-given ideas and gifts are for you to give the world. Some will fail, some will succeed. Some will like it, others will hate it. That’s part of the journey. Another lesson someone taught me is that we are NOT our failures. Just because you started something that failed, tried something and sucked at it; it doesn’t define who you are. Likewise, your successes don’t define you. There are a million definitions of success out there, but simply what you do shouldn’t really be one. I believe success is more importantly linked to how you make people feel and how you feel about yourself.

A doctor, for instance, isn’t merely successful because he earns 6 figures. In my opinion, it’s more about the impact on their patients. Recognizing that you are impactful, and removing the pressure and the fear of having to prove yourself is the beginning of allowing yourself to be a strong black woman. Strong doesn’t mean perfect, nor does it imply that you’re never fazed. It just means that no matter the circumstance, you keep pushing and going because you know there’s another woman or girl out there watching. And what Maxine Waters did for others, you too can do for others.