Black Women Are Resilient And Astonishing

On a daily basis, black women find themselves in a constant battle to overcome the obstacles in society that project negative stereotypes to portray them. Despite some of the negative characteristics that the system of white supremacy likes to associate with our women, there is no doubt that black women are beautiful, intelligent, resilient and sophisticated. 

Particularly when I think about the strong black women in my family, I admire them for their leadership as mothers, loyalty as wives, and the ability to raise their children with the principles of being hardworking, honest and determined. 

Black girl magic is a phrase which best describes black women, and puts emphasis on the amazing accomplishments and achievements of black women and ensures we continue to inspire black women. The cultural impact black women continue to have in so many different industries is endless, here we give examples of some of the most influential black women in the world today and some of their successes:

Rihanna

With all the incredible triumphs Rihanna has had in her career, it's hard to believe she is only 31 years old. Last year, she became the world's richest female musician with a net worth of $600 million - this was largely due to the boom of Fenty beauty.

Rihanna is described as one of the most influential musician's of the 21st century.

Gabrielle Union

In recent years Gabrielle Union has opened up about her fertility struggles, as well as racial/gender equality in Hollywood. Gabrielle Union is highly respected for being an outspoken voice for Black women. 

Gabrielle Union's book "We're Going To Need More Wine" was judged "Best Book By A Black Author" For That Year.

Ruth. E Carter

In 2019 she became the 1st African American woman to win an Oscar for costume design in Marvel's Black panther.

Ruth E. Carter's ability to to develop an authentic story through costume has made her one of the most renowned costume designers today. 

Michelle Obama

Her 2018 best selling novel "Becoming Mrs. Obama" caught the attention of the world with her warmth, strength and positive mindset as the 1st lady from 2009-2017. In her speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she also dropped the famous line "When they go low, we go high".

On November 20th 2019, Michelle Obama is nominated for a Grammy for best spoken word album for the audio version on "Becoming". 

Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay has gained critical acclaim in her career for her work on films including 13th, Selma and a Wrinkle in time. She's also the 1st woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million domestically. 

Ava DuVernay announced that "When They See Us" was viewed by over 23 million accounts

Venus & Serena Williams

Between them the sisters have 121 combined career singles titles and a total of 9 Olympic medals. Serena, 38, is the 1st tennis player to win 23 grand slam titles and has won more than $88 million in prize money - the highest of any female athlete. 

The sisters have played each other 25 times, with Serena holding a 14-11 advantage

Beyonce

Beyonce has earned the most Grammy nominations for a female artist with 62 in total, and she is the 2nd most decorated female Grammy winner with 22 wins.

Her On The Run II Stadium Tour With Husband Jay-Z Grossed Roughly $5million per night, pulling in a total of more than $250million.

This is just the shortlist of some of the black women who have demonstrated unbelievable achievements in their lives and accelerated to new heights. The bar is constantly being raised by so many different black women, who continue to pave the way for more black women to succeed in their career paths.   

There is no doubt that more than any other woman, the black woman is constantly faced with hardships designed to prevent them from progressing in life in many different settings. Take the workplace for example, there are many examples where black women's ideas on improving the company are undermined based on their race and gender. It is very common for black women to be perceived in a way where they are not capable of contributing to the workplace in a productive way, and often find themselves shut out of procedures where the team network and brainstorm ideas.

When discussing the representation of the strong black women, it is used as a symbol of empowerment for our women's ability to demonstrate their toughness, and how they constantly fight back against a system that has provided countless examples of racism and sexism over many generations. We use the reference of the strong black women as a show of appreciation for black women taking pride in their beliefs and their beauty, despite the fact that the system of global oppression tries to portray them in a negative way.

However, although the reference of the strong black woman is meant to have good intentions, it can also sometimes have the opposite effect, and there is another viewpoint which can be looked at when talking about the strong black woman. Because we often refer to black women as being strong and determined, there are many black women who feel pressured to act like superwomen, and project themselves as self-sacrificing and free of emotion, to cope with the stress of race and gender-based discrimination in their daily lives. Based on this, we can conclude that the identity of the strong black woman both hurts and helps.