Day 39

Ain't I a woman? -- Sojourner Truth

What does it mean to be a Black woman of African descent living in America? Many of us latched onto the feminist movement of the sixties; others continue to cling to male-run religious systems. But when have we, as individuals and as a group, taken time to define our own identity? Apart from our roles as mother, wife, sister, daughter, worker, where do we fit in the universal scheme of things? Black women in America are in a state of psychological crisis. We have a twelve-in-one chance of marrying. We are, in great measure, overweight and unfit, and we lead the nation in heart disease, poverty, and a myriad of other ills. Who are we? Better yet, who should be we become? We are women of strength and beauty and tenacity, who are no less deserving of love and health than any other group on the planet.

I will not allow forces outside myself to define me. I will create the me that I want to be!