Share A Smile With Your Sistas

You know what really gets under my skin? The cattiness that goes on between Sistas. The constant put downs, the angry stares, the fights, the gossip, the competing over men; it literally makes me wince. I mean, why are we always at each other’s throats? It’s like we lost a sense of sisterhood, and it makes me wonder where the hate stems from. Naturally, we’re built to love and nurture, but we somehow developed this hard outer shell to protect us from the constant barrage of attacks and criticism that we receive from society. We put a guard up to block out the hate and in return, block out each other. We are use to being on the chopping block, so we cut everybody out, including our fellow Sistas. A lot of times, we judge each other because we expect to be judged.

Many Sistas are raised in single parent homes and in result, are taught from day one to be independent. We are fed depressing statistics that tell us that we’re more prone to not get married due to the incarceration of our men, our men being gay, or our men converting over to a different race of women because of the negative stereotypes associated with Sistas. From birth, we’re raised with a mindset that we aren’t entitled to the joys of life like a husband, or a loving mate. We’re basically put under the assumption that we must fight and compete because our chances at happiness are slim to none. Well, I’m here to inform you that all of this is a lie. We don’t have to beat each other down in order to rise up. Instead of competing with one another, we need to band together and discourage others from partaking in the negativity and scrutiny of the Sista.

If you take a close look at how society views the Sista, it’s quite disturbing. If we aren’t being sexually exploited, we’re having multiple babies. If we aren’t fighting, we are being loud and aggressive; telling somebody off. The image of the Sista in society and the media is harsh, and I find myself always battling to break away from these negative connotations. Even though I do know a few Sistas that fit some of these stereotypes, we are uniquely different. Sistas come in different shades and personalities, and that’s what makes us all beautiful.

We need to come together and work systematically to help repair the image of the Sista. Instead of contending against each other, let’s be more encouraging and supportive because we can relate to one another. I’m not saying you have to become best friends with every Sista you come across, but it’s not going to kill you to be friendly. The next time you come across a Sista, share a smile with her, even if she doesn’t return the gesture. At least you tried, and maybe the next Sista will.