Is this really about authenticity?
In a world that has created scripts for us to follow to be deemed appropriate. Scripts also called controlling images by Black feminists writers that define who are and therefore how we get to be treated. Controlling images such as the strong Black woman, the angry Black Woman, the Mammy or submissive African woman, the Jezebel, etc. Such that when our behaviour falls outside of those scripts we get punished.
The call towards self definition and authenticity that creates room for our complexity becomes a relief and often a life saver. As Audrey Lorde well articulated it by saying ‘ if I didn’t define myself. I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies of me and eaten alive’. We welcome the call to self define with a sense of relief.
However, we need to be careful that we do not hide our shortfalls, our shadows, areas that are ripe for growth and release behind the veil of authenticity. We have to continually ask : Is this who I am or is this a wound, which once healed will allow me to experience the fullness of who I am? Have we accepted what is unacceptable about ourselves in the name of authenticity?
Are you a Black Woman in the Workplace who feels called to the next level of leadership, income and impact?
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