Black Women Are Dope: Breaking Oppression Through Cultural Identity & Inclusivity
By Ariane Hunter
We are in quite possibly one of the most revolutionary moments of our time. Amidst a health crisis and social uprising, never before have we ever had the conversations we are having now particularly around race and identity. Whether you are a white person who has never had to think about inequality or a Black person who’s had to face it every day, we are now at a pivotal moment in time where we are forced to re-examine and re-evaluate old paradigms and rebuild some new ones.
Today I want to focus on black women and particularly our cultural identity as something that has long been minimized and erased. I want to unpack how things like our upbringing, our heritage and even our names have been a source of pain and difficulty but are the very same things that are key to our strength and power.
We’re going to explore the interplay of how dominant social norms have created barriers to how we as black and brown women see ourselves and how we can use elements of our culture in the ways that we lead and present ourselves in the world.
Using our cultural upbringing as an asset
When you’re dropped into a culture largely rooted in European history but you were raised in an ethnically diverse household, navigation of these landscapes can prove a bit tricky. Influences of a dominant culture can often overshadow our own. In a conversation once with my mentor, a woman from Central Africa, she shared how often people would make insensitive remarks about her country upon first meeting her. In these instances she had to choose to either laugh it off or educate others on their ignorant comments. But the truth is, for her, the fact that she is African born is the greatest piece of her personal brand. She uses her cultural roots as an asset to build influence and open doors to projects and media channels that regularly look for people with her background.
As someone who identifies with Carribean culture being brought up in that space, I can use my personal stories and connection to the islands to differentiate me and raise the visibility of my culture as a whole. By using our culture as a valued piece of our brand we can dispel assumptions, shine a positive spotlight and bring greater representation to our respective fields.
Remember our name
For years black women have been criticized and downright dismissed in the professional world because of our names. As recent as 2018, a St. Louis woman was rejected after applying to a customer service job. The employer had this to say: “Unfortunately, we do not consider candidates that have suggestive ghetto names.” Creative naming inspired by pro-black movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s gave rise to naming practices that veered away from common European sounding names. While the goal was to take pride in our heritage, what ensued was the inability of mass media and social entities to embrace our true identities. Black women have been made to feel ashamed of our names from our white peers and even those within our own race calling people with black names foolish.
Our names hold weight; they represent our reputation, our heritage, and our legacy — in short, our name is quite literally, who we are. When you hear the name Uzo Aduba, you think Emmy-winning Nigerian actress. She tells her story of when she was a kid, asking her mother if she could go by the name “Zoe” because no one could pronounce her actual name. Uzo’s mom responded, “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.”
Don’t Touch My Hair
I knew my hair was an asset the moment someone recognized me from a few blocks away just by the way I wore my hair; big and free. They commented: I saw the hair and knew that was you. The Crown Act created in 2019 bans any form of racial discrimination based on targeting hairstyles. Black women and even children had been told that our hair is “unruly” and therefore a distraction or not conducive to the workplace. Imagine being told that a part of who you are is seen by others as unacceptable or not appropriate. I’ve spoken with women who refrained from wearing her natural curly hair because she feared the backlash at work. She was afraid of how she would be perceived so it was easier for her to wear it straight. Corporate assimilation is real y’all.
In the black community, especially for women, hair in all its forms has always been the centerpiece of identity. From natural curls, afro puffs, sew in weaves to dreadlocks, our hair is an attribute that helps define who we are and shapes the narrative of what it means to be a black woman. In 2006, musician India Arie released, “I Am Not My Hair,” an anthem to people everywhere (not just black women) reinstilling pride in our hair. The way we wear our hair is just a small piece of what makes us who we are. In many ways, our hair is also how we make a statement, our statement.
The inclusion of Black women’s voices, style and culture yearn to be heard and appreciated. It’s our job as a society to never lose sight of what makes us unique particularly in spaces that are made to make us feel that we do not belong. Our rich history, culture and traditions are rooted in generations passed and cannot be denied. When we ignore our culture it gives permission for others to ignore us too. Inclusivity is not just for Black women but for all cultures to embrace, accept and celebrate.
You can follow Ariane on Instagram and Twitter @ArianeHunter
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Enrollment for The Mentors Circle is now open -- The Mentors Circle is a leadership platform that provides supportive connections in the form of mentorship and positive community to help advance the career, business and professional ambitions for women of color. Our objective is to make sure every woman of color, particularly black women, who is an emerging leader in her field has access to mentorship if she wants it. Click here to learn more and apply!
Listen to Ariane’s episode, See It Be It: Mentorship Is(n’t) Essential, on Imperfectly Phenomenal Woman podcast.