I am a queen!!

The other night I wasn't able to sleep so I decided I'd watching some shows. I came across Iyanla Vanzant's House of Healing: The Myth of the Angry Black Woman. It consists of four episodes where Vanzant invites eight women from their early 20s to late 40s who consider themselves "angry black women" for whatever reasons. While watching I couldn't hold back tears. I saw pieces of myself in each of those women. I saw my pain in theirs.

It's crazy how much we hold in and hold back. How much people misjudge anger for hurt, shame, embarrassment, abandonment. How much we refuse to let ourselves heal because most times we're unaware there is healing to be had. People look at black women and see them as angry, but they're not understanding all of the things we deal with that manifest themselves negatively and help to perpetuate the stereotype of "the angry black woman." We are not angry, we are queens who have let the weight of or sorrows weigh us down to the point where our crowns have fallen and when we look in the mirror we no longer recognize ourselves as queens. 

I refuse to continue to carry the weight of my past hurt, shame, and other issues around any longer. It is time to bring all of my issues to light and heal. I am not an angry black woman. I am a STRONG black woman. I am a BEAUTIFUL black woman. I am an INTELLIGENT, CARING, GENEROUS, LOVING, and VULNERABLE black woman. 

I AM AN EMPRESS... I AM A QUEEN!