What we can learn From Black Women Leaders about Confidence and Resilience
Key lessons we can learn from Black Women leaders
Advocate for yourself
Shirley Chisholm was a prominent and inspirational black woman in history. She was an African American politician, author and educator; and in the 1970s, she ran for US president, making her the first woman and black candidate of a major political party to run for office.
If they don’t give you a seat at the table bring a folding chair — Shirley Chisholm
Her powerful words: If they don’t give you a seat at the table bring a folding chair reigns true for black women today. Shirley’s statement recognises the structural inequalities that disadvantage black women; however, despite this, she encourages black women to not let these barriers stop them from accomplishing their goals.
The hardship women of colour face navigating racial and gendered barriers in different areas of daily-life is undeniable. Adopting Shirley Chisholm’s approach does not diminish the challenges women of colour face, but instead, it encourages women of colour to not let societal expectations make them second-guess themselves or doubt their own abilities.
Feeling visible and heard comes from within
In Michelle Obama’s Netflix documentary Becoming she stated that feeling visible and heard comes from within. Her documentary is important because it demonstrates how black women often shrink themselves because of how the world views them.
The world is not going to become equal after we elect the right president or cast the right vote. You need to find the tools within yourself to feel visible and heard — Michelle Obama
Michelle emphasised the importance of finding the tools within ourselves to feel heard and seen. We can’t wait for the world to become equal first before we start feeling visible.
Use your privilege to advocate for other people
Tarana Burke is an American activist from New York who started the Me Too movement. In 2006 she started to use the term Me Too as a way of supporting women with similar experiences to stand up for themselves.
In 2017, the hashtag gained widespread media attention and it is now a recognised international movement.
In an interview with the Guardian, Tarana talks about gaining a large platform overnight because of the social media attention the Me Too movement gained.
She highlighted that having a large platform is a privilege, but this being a privilege does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. She emphasised that what is most important, is how the privilege is used.
As we become elevated into positions of power, it is important to use our privilege to advocate for people who are often left out of the conversation.
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