March has been designated “Women’s History Month”, and although women should be celebrated daily, I get the sentiment and I’m OK with it. However, for me, celebrating women is more than a symbolic gesture; it’s about seeing our value and worth. More importantly, it’s about each woman owning her value, worth, and power, rather than allowing it to be dictated by anyone else. No doubt we will hear about women’s struggles, and we should never forget them. I pray that our struggles become more that something we talk about, and more about the strength and power inherent in those struggles. Sometime ago I came across a quote from C. JoyBell C. that really resonated with me, “The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes.”
So, at a time when women are judged by how they look, walk, talk, are pigmented, or whether or not they have the ability to lead a nation or an organization, I celebrate US. And yes, although sadly, some of these limitations and stereotypes about US are promulgated by US, I celebrate US, in all our glorious complexities, fabulousness, and awesomeness.
Namaste, Queens! Wear your crowns proudly!
Yvonne.