My sistah, will it hurt you to reply with a hello when I say “hi” to you?
Black women are not getting along. Instead of building each other up, we consistently try to bring the next black woman down. We would rather hear that so and so is pregnant out of wedlock than to hear that she has earned a fabulous internship. We love it when you fail and hate it when you succeed.
Every day, there is some kind of problem between sistahs. Whether it’s “she likes my man,” “she’s too cute” or “she gave me a bad look,” we need to grow up.
Black women seem to have a problem with competition. No one is allowed to look or dress better than the other. I, myself, sometimes fall for it, but never verbally try to bring another sistah down. I must say, I do admire some of my sistahs’ unique styles.
Why can’t we get along? Are we fighting to be better than the next sistah or are we just competing to get what she has? Instead of complimenting her on her confidence, we consider her “stuck up”, “too white” or ” too cute.”
Let’s face it, ladies, there will always be someone out there who is better looking, dressing, and smarter. But that doesn’t mean we have to make them feel less for having what we don’t have.
Sistahs, let’s uplift each other. Compliment a sistah when she is looking good. Congratulate her when she has accomplished the impossible. Only ignoring the negative and embracing the positive will bring sistah’s together. If we stop holding negativity among one another we can start relationships with our sistahs.
The next time you walk across campus or stop at the cafeteria, try saying, “hello” instead of walking past as if the sistah weren’t there. Black women need unity and sisterhood, and we don’t have to be in a sorority to accomplish that.
Erneshia Edwards, 19, is a freshman broadcast journalism student from Fort Lauderdale. She can be reached at edwardserenshia@hotmail.com.