Resilient Spirit: 10 Reasons Black Women's Stories of Overcoming Abuse and Violence Are Important

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker is one of the earliest and most well-known books written by a black woman about domestic violen...

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker is one of the earliest and most well-known books written by a black woman about domestic violence. 

While it may not be the very first book on the topic, it was published in 1982 and gained significant recognition for addressing themes of abuse and oppression within the African-American community. 

Not everyone appreciated the story being told.  There was criticism from every corner. It was 1982, Black women had made many career, family, education, and community advances, as we often do.  

But one thing that we were still not supposed to do was tell our own stories with our own pens, and in our own voices. Black people expected our silence and assimilation "as one". Americans expected our silence and assimilation. Everyone expected our forgetfulness and forgiveness. 

Storytellers Can Be Viewed as Traitors

For some, it was seen as a traitorous act to speak about the violence and abuse that Black women survived. For others, ungrateful. They let us live, didn't they?

Black women's and Black girl's stories still must be told. If politicians are retelling well-documented tales of inhumane torture about forced labor in slavery....what will they make up about the common practice of rape? Love stories.

Already we see that a movement is not beneath exploiting lies from mouths of people who hate women and Black people in an attempt to force some weird version of "unity". 

Remember: "Black women are not seen as women."

They conveniently left off...to the most hateful and ignorant among human beings. People who resist anything related to genuine love, joy, knowledge, emotional intelligence, and hope.  

Tell the entire truth and name names or leave it on the playground.  

For many Black women, our femaleness is exactly what lies behind the rape and abuse that we suffered. From female genital mutilation to child sexual abuse. 

We Must Tell Our Own Stories

We must keep speaking about how we deal with pain in girlhood and what that looks like on a little Black girl. 

 1. Representation: Black storytelling gives a voice and platform to black victims of domestic and sexual violence, ensuring their experiences are seen, heard, and validated. Storytelling provides a platform for women's voices, enabling them to be seen, heard, and understood. It helps to overcome the underrepresentation and marginalization of women's perspectives in various fields, including literature, media, and history.

2. Breaking the silence: By sharing stories, black victims of violence can break the cycle of silence and shame surrounding these issues within their communities.

Storytelling allows women to reshape dominant narratives about their lives and experiences. By providing alternative perspectives, women can challenge and change outdated, biased, and harmful narratives that perpetuate gender inequality.

3. Empowerment: Black storytelling empowers black victims by allowing them to reclaim their narratives and redefine themselves beyond their experiences of violence. By sharing their stories, women can challenge and overcome gender stereotypes and societal expectations, promoting empowerment and self-confidence.

4. Community support: Storytelling provides a means for black victims of violence to connect with others who may have had similar experiences, fostering a sense of community and support.

5. Healing and catharsis: For survivors of domestic and sexual violence, sharing their stories can be a pathway to healing, helping them process their trauma and find closure. 

Storytelling can serve as a tool for healing and catharsis for women who have experienced trauma, abuse, or discrimination. Sharing personal stories can be therapeutic, helping women process their emotions, find closure, and reclaim their narratives.

6. Awareness and education: Black storytelling raises awareness within the black community about the prevalence and impact of domestic and sexual violence, challenging harmful cultural norms and stereotypes.

7. Encouraging help-seeking behavior: By highlighting stories of survival and resilience, black storytelling can inspire victims to seek help, access resources, and receive support. By sharing their stories of achievements, women serve as role models for others, inspiring future generations and showing them what is possible.

 Storytelling can help young girls and women find inspiration, hope, and the belief in their own abilities.

8. Advocacy and activism: Narratives born out of black storytelling can fuel social change, contributing to the broader movement to address and prevent domestic and sexual violence within black communities.

9. Cultural preservation: Black storytelling ensures that experiences of domestic and sexual violence faced by black individuals are recorded and preserved as an integral part of black history and culture.

10. Policy and systemic change: By sharing their stories, black victims of violence can provide firsthand accounts that challenge existing policies, systems, and disparities, advocating for reforms that better protect and support survivors.

Storytelling is important for Black women and for all women, because 

•  It empowers them, 
• Promotes representation and connection, 
• Breaks barriers, 
• Inspires, 
• Transforms narratives, 
• and Facilitates healing. 

People wrongly assume that individuals sharing their unique stories leads to division. It actually leads to unity. Sharing stories can create a sense of solidarity among women, helping them connect with others who have had similar experiences. 

This sense of connection fosters a supportive community, where women can find validation, advice, and understanding. By sharing their stories, women elevate their voices, challenge gender norms, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society. 

Poetry or stage plays, 

Fiction or non-fiction

Let's write those stories Ladies!

Dedicated to the memory of author Echo Brown who passed away recently.

Obituary: Echo Brown (publishersweekly.com)

Email us if you have a story to tell. If you already have a short video, audio, article that we can post here let us know.  We are interested in survival stories females from various ethnicities, races, and cultural experiences. 

info (at) wesurviveabuse.com

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