Reesheda’s Writing.
“If it ain’t the end, it’s the middle and there are things yet to be seen…seeing it out to the end…that’s the gift!”
– Reesheda Nicole
“If it ain’t the end, it’s the middle and there are things yet to be seen…seeing it out to the end…that’s the gift!” – Reesheda Nicole
Writing Samples.
My grandmother wore many hats. She also literally made them for others to wear. Here is a picture of a slew of Dope Black Women wearing the many hats she made and gave away. The ones she wore were nothing like the ones she gave away. She wore hats she liked. She made hats other people liked. She knew how to remove herself from the center long enough to honor the heads and hearts of others. Might we be so lucky. ~Selah.
Excerpt from, “I Think I Miss My Grandmother”
This week, I continue to revel in what a few of you worked together to help me to create language for last Saturday. A member of our group talked about how we as Womxn of Color sometimes show up “small” as a form of self-sabotage. She recalled her mom telling her as a child that she (her mom) didn’t give her a lot of compliments for fear of her “getting the big head.” Aaaahhhh!!! We often internalize this kind of messaging, especially from people we care about. Then we go into spaces with other women, all ready to be the “BIG HEAD POLICE!” We are sure to point out each others’ flaws and mistakes while neglecting to share the “BIG UPS” and “SHOUT OUTS!” Ugh! We shun each other, citing a “think she bedda than us” spirit on the womxn who were destined to be our homegirls, shy of the evil fate of self sabotage! “She got the big head! I ain’t foolin’ wit her!”
But, WAIT…
Excerpt from, “Closer Than They Appear”
How do we hold Black excellence, and denounce the grind? How do we preserve the traditions and renounce the traumas of the Black church? How do we manage the contention between protecting our vulnerable Black Woman bodies and celebrate the naked freedom of our sexuality unapologetically? How do we honor Black men in a way that they understand and receive, while still holding the line on the toxic masculinity that they sometimes unknowingly offer us out of a broken and disjointed love? This is what Beyonce invites us into, and holding all of this at once, well, that is a lot to hold and it is wrapped in a discord that our homogenous, monochromatic conditioning will rail against, even if we want to be fully enveloped in it.0
Excerpt from, “Reflections on ‘Black is King’” by Beyoncé