This article is from an excruciatingly hetero-centric point of view so bear with me. Black women of any sexual orientation, are amazing. They truly are the eighth wonder of the world. Not only do they survive in a world that wasn’t made with them in mind, they thrive. You know who survives when black women thrive? Black men. Be it patriarchy or the false sense of superiority that men think they have over women but cishet black men have no power without the presence of black women. They’re sheep in a white man’s world and that’s the gospel truth.
So they try by all means to be masculine and exceptional when women are around. Like life is some competition. White people colonized 90% of the world and almost all of Africa instilling a sense of superiority, instilling slavery, instilling hurt and inferiority. That inferiority hit black men the hardest because fragile masculinity. Making way for patriarchy and inferiority vs superiority at home where for a long time, home was the only place black men could demand respect…so they did. Colonization pit black men against black women.
Yet black women are and continue to be black men’s safe place. It’s a strong quality of black women to protect anyone that they love with their lives and unfortunately, black women love black men. Fast forward to modern Earth, black women are single-handedly raising presidents, CEOs, scientists, artists and superstars. Patriarchy, the dumbfounding oppressive notion that women are lesser Captains of the ship than men, if anything, proves just how important women have been historically and especially in black households. Traditionally (like in 1965), while the man was at work, women were keeping things together at home.
If we look at it in this context, it’s also safe to say women taught men at that time, how to be “men”.
All I’m saying is, black women, this is inclusive of anyone who identifies as a black woman, melanin willing of course, are the vanguard of the black species.
