Even Pretty Girls Need to Fight!
Before you jump to conclusions that I am bragging or boasting or trying “to shine” about my physical attractiveness,, please read on.
I’ve been pretty beat up this past month. Not physically…well, not directly.
See, I was raised to be “the good girl.” Not to give anyone any problems. I come from “a good family” and would never do anything to embarrass them. Just do what I am told. And that continued through my adulthood.
I am often the quiet, unassuming Black woman in the room. Always smiling. But under the smile, it is not always happiness or contentment. Often one of a few women of color or the only Black woman in the room so I may present as timid and easy to please. While that sounds like a good thing (which in some cases it is), being a Black woman in White America, this is not a good thing.
What do you mean Dr. Clack? What has happened? You are the nicest person I know!
It’s not easy knowing that in spite of putting your best self forward and minding your own business that there will be people who do not like you. You may never know why, but it’s true. Maybe in some way in their mind, you present a threat. Maybe they are envious. Jealous. Or maybe…I just don‘t know.
What I do know is that I have had to fight more for myself this year than I have had to in my career. I realized that as I gain exposure and visibility in this field, it has drawn more eyes to me (insert Tupac lyrics “All Eyez on me”) and my work but not all are applauding or congratulating me. Some have come to belittle, silence, or shame me into shrinking back and playing small.
But it’s not their fault. I have to learn to fight back. Not in the boxing ring, but in my voice. I have been silenced and shamed and made to feel like I “don’t fit in” in the body and fitness industry, my professional groups, and even in places that pride themselves on being “safe spaces.” If you know me and follow me, then you have heard me say this a thousand times, there are no safe spaces for Black women, except the ones we create.
Well, there it is. This is a short version of my lived experience of being a Black woman in White America. I know that I am not alone. For this reason, I created The Awakening Masterclass: Finding Our Voice and Standing In Our Truth. If my story evokes an emotion in you, or if it resonates with your lived experience, you will want to register and be in the number who are taking this seriously and learning how to fight back with our voice and take up space unapologetically!
We unpack racial transgressions and related personal hurts as we elevate as Black women in leadership, C-Suite professionals, ministry, and women on the go to aspire higher.
[Early registration for the four-week Spring Cohort Masterclass Series: The Awakening…Finding Our Voice and Standing in Our Truth! Is on! Check out the registration in the link.]
I also curate wellness retreat spaces for us to gather together and share our stories while we heal. In all the work I do with and for Black women is to bring us together to heal so we do not feel alone in our journey. We need a safe space for courageous conversations and wellness discussions that educate and provide practical strategies on ways to reduce and manage anxiety, reduce stress and burnout, improve mental wellness, show you how to navigate spaces where experiences of racism, bias, microaggressions, and microinvalidations have silenced us all while we are striving to perform and do our best as leaders, mothers, wive, business owners, caregivers, etc.
Your health matters!
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In Your Wellness,
Dr. Clack
