Now that America has affirmed its choice for the least qualified candidate—once again passing over an exceptionally qualified Black woman—and fills the cabinet with mediocre picks (the original affirmative action OGs), I hope this becomes a "Never Forget" moment etched into the minds, hearts, and souls of Black people, especially Black women.
It’s time for us to sit back and let Whiteness be centered, resounding so loudly that it finally hears itself. Let freedom ring.
But before we step back, we must first shed what I call in Navigating Courage: Leading Beyond Fear the "cloak of TENDing"—Trying to End the Needs and Dilemmas of white folks.
Since the moment our stolen bodies touched this stolen land, we have tended. We fought for our dignity, labored in fields we did not own, fed children who weren’t ours, and even protected others in battles we did not start. Our hands, hearts, and very beings have been bound to caregiving and survival for others, often at our own expense.
No more.
Removing this cloak means letting go of the need to “work twice as hard” to prove our worth. It means no longer catering to their tears, empty promises of “allyship,” or hollow words about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s time to unburden ourselves from the emotional labor of tending to others’ comfort, expectations, and approval.
When we remove the cloak of tending, we embrace true liberation. Liberation is not only freedom from visible chains but from invisible ones binding us to the well-being of others.
Let me be clear here—the cloak has taken up too much space in our lives. It’s time to reclaim that space for our joy, dreams, and rest. Removing this cloak is about honoring the Mother-God within each of us. It means surrounding ourselves with those who honor our worth, who love us, and who understand our journey.
It’s time for Black women to tend to Black women—to pour into ourselves as deeply as we have poured into the world—UNCLOAKED.
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