Brown women, at times, are treated like second-class citizens in the “non-Brown” world…
Women universally are treated this way, but as Brown women in a “white world”….Too often, we are either invisible, or “exoticized.”
Our voices are deemed irrelevant and unworthy.
We are trained to tolerate or even ignore this on our daily routines…
….And even our tolerance and mercy is undervalued or not acknowledged….
It is not a compliment when you tell us we are “soft-spoken” or that we are “exotic-looking.”
It is quite fascinating. That whatever we end up wearing, can become an “ethnic outfit”, even if we bought it at New York and Company or Nordstrom. Sisters, do you feel me on this, or I am alone in this experience?
I do believe this experience is a truth that many share in common, but we assume that our only option is to accept it and tolerate it, so therefore, like any other subtle racial bias, we remain silent.
It is something expressed with great depth within the stories, poetry, and novels, perhaps more lost and entangled in the work of fiction, yet rarely discussed in the day to day conversations, unless it has some political connection or value through a hashtag…
But we must continue to draw strength from these experiences that are often intended to break us and tear us down, and grow to be better people in spite the subtle and apparent hostility and animosity towards us.
Smile even though the atmosphere does not welcome it.
Keep our heads up, even though the inertia of the surrounding unwelcoming environment is pushing it downward.
Remain confident and strong, even as it is expected otherwise.
Flaunt our “Brownness” and elegance even as we are boxed into those perverted stereotypes.
There is a unique beauty in our Brownness, that cannot remain hidden, that we must not depart from…
We must not conform to the evaporation of what makes each of us special in a unique way (and this is universal), …despite the social forces’ inability or unwillingness to embrace it…
We are not invisible. We exist. Our voices are valuable. And we will remain patient while our power continues to be limited, but we will keep pushing forward by shooting for the stars and changing our own stars. Taking every struggle as an opportunity to empower ourselves, while empowering others in similar journeys.
Peace and Blessings,
Your Warrior Queen, Elsa
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