Being reminded the Black Sisterhood does exist

19th July 2018Afrowoman1Blog, Thrive & Strive0

It’s often said that there is a lack of unity among black people. Black women are sometimes labelled as being troublesome and ‘at each other’s throats’- yes we know! But I still hold onto my belief that the black sisterhood does still exist.

Why is the Black Sisterhood so important for us?

We have so many opportunities and good things we can enjoy and get into today. We’re able to experience things our mothers and foremothers could only dream about; careers, travelling and deciding how we want to run our lives. I believe us black women are living in times which offer us so much more.

But at times it can feel like we are carrying the heaviness of our culture and legacy; the difficulties our ancestors endured can sometimes feel not too far away. When we come up against barriers – racism, being excluded and financial difficulties, these are all pressures which can weigh heavily on us. That’s when we need the sisterhood to remind us who we are and that we have to keep going.

Having solid friendships is so important to helping us navigate and at times survive when we run into these barriers. Sometimes just being able to give your friend that look or say “girl you know….”

Friendships built on strength and loyalty

Our mothers relied on these friendships when they came to the UK. Being able to tell eachother about the difficulties they faced trying to fit into white society or supporting eachother when feeling homesick helped them to survive.

These friendships made it possible for them to raise their children and come through so many things that would scare us to death! With their mothers being thousands of miles away, the black sisterhood was there on their wedding day or helping to raise the children, when some of the black men decided to leave them.

Meeting like-minded women

I was lucky a few weeks ago to go to a fantastic event organised by KOL Cosmetics. It was a social event at Ham Polo Club but a lot of the women were entrepreneurs, business owners and brimming with ambition.

Although I’d never met them before, I was reminded and encouraged by the way these women were mixing with eachother, discussing ways to work together or just giving words of support.

I came away knowing that there are so many good things happening in the black British community and that us black women are helping eachother, while moving forward.