The Strong Black Woman

A distinctive trauma

The truth is that Black women are strong, dynamic, and survivors of a system that would have destroyed a less-enduring people-this we know. Adversely we have paid a significant price to become such. We can sum up the American experiment from a Black woman's perspective to one word: rape. Our history with America is something that no one wants to discuss. Not only were we raped of our identity, but historically Black women have been repeated victims of sexual and emotional assault. As with any victim of these types of assaults, there will be long-lasting mental health consequences if not addressed. Unfortunately Black women have been given a clear message about their abuse and that was to shut up and suffer in silence, and we did.

The ‘crazy’ label

It's not just the strong Black woman schema that contributes to the poor mental health of Black women. As a culture, we are less likely to seek mental health professionals' help in fear of being labeled 'crazy.'

Black women are at a higher risk for anxiety and depression due to cultural attitudes towards the Black woman’s mental health. Black women are praised for their strength and vilified for being anything less than the epitome of their supposably never-ending vitality. Therefore, they are less likely to seek treatment, and if they do seek therapeutic help, they are more likely to end treatment prematurely..

Our plan

The only way to combat the strong Black woman schema is to normalize talking about our feelings. We believe that if our young girls have space to talk about their feelings and emotions without consequence. We instead want to encourage the young women within our program to share their feelings while recognizing that they are not alone in this struggle.