“Instinct leads me to another flow, Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a b****or a hoe, Trying to make a sister feel low,You know all of that gots to go…”
Ahhh, the ever so poetic words hailing from the Queen herself…Latifah that is. The truth she spoke back in 1993, still holds pertinent value almost two decades later. So what is it that our community still doesn’t get? On any given, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday…on any given day period, you’re guaranteed to hear a brother calling a sister out her name. It saddens me that even in 2K11 that we’re still subjecting ourselves to this kind of abuse. It’s not enough that your father’s father’s father sacrificed his blood, sweat and tears for you to live a life of freedom; a life without being marginalized or relegated into a particular classification they deem fit. It’s not enough that your mother’s mother’s mother was looked upon as ugly and called out her name for you to recognize your own beauty. We are still fighting one another. Killing off our own. Vicious brutalities between teenage girls over men who (and I quote) “love” them; silly me, love comes in the form of beatings, cheating, and verbal abuse. How could I have missed out on all this love?
Enough is enough! How much longer do we have to continue reading about another one lost; you know the good girl scholar who lost her way; the community’s loss. So my plea to the sister who thinks control is love, remember your strength. Remember that it is you that is giving him the power to disrespect you, hurt you and in more ways than one, build you (down). To my sister looking up to the video vixen for esteem. Know that your self-worth is far more important than what appears to stare back at you through your TV screen. And in the words of Mr. Luva Luva himself, “if your man don’t tell you every day how beautiful you are, I’m letting you know right now, “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL BABY!” From the array of shades you possess, to the range in the God given strides that you take, you are beautiful!
I challenge all my sisters, and oh yea, you too fellas, to lift one another up. Encourage those who need the motivation to fulfill their potential. Educate. Inspire dreams. Ignore, yet still treat ignorance with a cure keeping in mind that it will never fully be treated. Build character. And people, do not forget to LIVE! Live a life of love, laughter and U.N.I.T.Y.
~Krystle Carmona