Let Black Girls Be Black Girls
Written By: Brooklyn Kent
The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman. The most policed person in the World is the Black young girl.
Young Black girls all over the world are often policed by strangers, neighbors, church members, teachers, and their own families. Black girls are policed on how to do their hair, what to wear, and their weight. We are never given the option to exist freely. There is always a system in place to remind us to be “humble”. We have to be humbled by those for being confident and lacking the confidence that they wish they had.
For as long as I can remember there was always an adult, whether it was in church or at school, that felt the need to humble me. This wasn’t discipline, this was attacking my confidence and reminding me that no matter where I wanted to find joy, I always had to shrink myself to be welcomed.
In middle school I played volleyball. I wasn’t the best and all I wanted to do was play as good as my sister. I would go to her practices and watch how her and her teammates would play. They were fierce and fearless. They attacked the net and played aggressively. At each practice I would watch, I took notes and even tried to perform how they did. When my team had practice I brought my A-game! I slammed the balls like they did, I was aggressive, I attacked the net, and I gave it my all! My confidence was through the roof. I just knew my coach was proud of my new found efforts. My coach at the time was a Black lady, really gorgeous and wore her natural hair with confidence. I also looked up to her. She called us over to huddle up. “Some of yall are acting like yall poop don’t stank,” she said, aka “some of yall think yall are better than others.” My teammates laughed because they assumed she was joking, however she wasn’t. So I asked “are you talking about me?” She then responded with “yes,” then asked why I was being so aggressive and slamming the balls so loud. At the time I just shrugged and said I wouldn’t do it again. I remember my cheeks getting warm and the stares of teammates.
Years later when I got to high school my coach then asked why I wasn’t aggressive at the net and why don’t I leave a hole in the ground? For years coaches wanted me to play like “my poop didn’t stink”. I wish Black women knew how hurtful words can stick with kids for years on. How the need to “humble” us is never needed. In a world that hates Black women for being themselves, why would you want us to reduce ourselves? Why must we shrink to make others feel confident? Why can’t Black girls just be Black girls? Why do we have to go through a rite of passage to be humbled when we can just be ourselves ?
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Hello! My name is Brooklyn Kent. For most of my life I have faced colorism and sometimes the memories that I try to suppress come and haunt me at night. I have made it my life mission that any young girl that I come in contact with know that they are beautiful and that their skin is not weapon.