{"id":3438,"date":"2020-07-06T21:36:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T01:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/?p=3438"},"modified":"2021-05-08T09:42:20","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T13:42:20","slug":"advocacy-for-black-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/social-justice\/advocacy-for-black-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy for Black Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3438\" class=\"elementor elementor-3438\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-753c46f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"753c46f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a0d8bcf\" data-id=\"a0d8bcf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7830e0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d7830e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>How Can We Understand the Experience of Black Women? <\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cda3440 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cda3440\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f9ff3cc\" data-id=\"f9ff3cc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0b0d30 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b0b0d30\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"750\" height=\"729\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3452\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5.jpg 750w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5-300x292.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5-600x583.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e1b5b04 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e1b5b04\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d0472f9\" data-id=\"d0472f9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e478cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5e478cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the last month, there&rsquo;s been two big names as part of the movement against police brutality.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One person&rsquo;s murderers were arrested and one&rsquo;s weren&rsquo;t. George Floyd was murdered on May 25th, and Derek Chauvin was arrested four days later. Breonna Taylor was murdered on March 13th, and her killers have still not been arrested.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><br><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-90bf400 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"90bf400\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f565e73\" data-id=\"f565e73\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e2ad25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4e2ad25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"712\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3453\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg.jpg 712w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg-600x601.jpg 600w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/EZpqEuVUwAUCyVg-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 712px) 100vw, 712px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cfcaa48 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cfcaa48\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3149d54\" data-id=\"3149d54\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8dbee2e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8dbee2e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 25px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400;\">If that&rsquo;s not enough evidence for you:&nbsp;<\/span><\/div><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black women make up 13% of the female population in the United States.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While white women are more likely to have breast cancer, African American women have higher overall mortality rates from breast cancer. Every year, 1,722 African American women die from breast cancer&mdash;an average of five African American women per day.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, such as embolism and pregnancy-related hypertension, than any other racial group.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">African American women have the highest rates of premature births and are more likely to have infants with low or very low birth weights. African American infants are more than 2.4 times more likely as white infants to die in their first year of life.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only 35 percent of African American <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: lesbian\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;lesbian&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Lesbian reflects female-aligned individuals that primarily attracted to other female-aligned individuals. Make sure it is appropriate as an ally to use this label in relation to another&amp;#039;s sexuality. Some people that like female-aligned individuals just use the term gay. Use the terms that people are using to describe themselves. If someone says they are gay and like people that like female-aligned individuals say that they are gay. Saying lesbian may not be appropriate because it could limit a person&amp;#039;s sexuality if they still figuring it out.I again point you towards GLSEN and The Trevor Project for support. Check out my resource hub as well!&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>lesbian<\/span> and <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: Bisexual\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Bisexual&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Bisexuality is a sexual identity based on a person&amp;#039;s attraction to people of their gender and other gender identities. It can be more than just two genders.&nbsp;It isn&amp;#039;t always an equal attraction. Some use this as a way to dismiss bisexuality. Bi erasure is a real thing, and allies need to advocate for the recognition of this identity.So with the bisexual flag, the pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only (gay and lesbian). The blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight). The resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi).For more information, visit The Bisexual Resource Center which has great information for people that identify as bisexual and allies. Additionally, follow @bisexuals_speak, an Instagram account run by a friend of mine.Finally, check out my resource hub for more websites for the LBGTQIA+ community and allies.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>bisexual<\/span> women have had a mammogram in the past two years, compared to 60 percent of white <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: lesbian\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;lesbian&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Lesbian reflects female-aligned individuals that primarily attracted to other female-aligned individuals. Make sure it is appropriate as an ally to use this label in relation to another&amp;#039;s sexuality. Some people that like female-aligned individuals just use the term gay. Use the terms that people are using to describe themselves. If someone says they are gay and like people that like female-aligned individuals say that they are gay. Saying lesbian may not be appropriate because it could limit a person&amp;#039;s sexuality if they still figuring it out.I again point you towards GLSEN and The Trevor Project for support. Check out my resource hub as well!&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>lesbian<\/span> and <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: Bisexual\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Bisexual&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Bisexuality is a sexual identity based on a person&amp;#039;s attraction to people of their gender and other gender identities. It can be more than just two genders.&nbsp;It isn&amp;#039;t always an equal attraction. Some use this as a way to dismiss bisexuality. Bi erasure is a real thing, and allies need to advocate for the recognition of this identity.So with the bisexual flag, the pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only (gay and lesbian). The blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight). The resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi).For more information, visit The Bisexual Resource Center which has great information for people that identify as bisexual and allies. Additionally, follow @bisexuals_speak, an Instagram account run by a friend of mine.Finally, check out my resource hub for more websites for the LBGTQIA+ community and allies.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>bisexual<\/span> women.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">African American women held 8.58 percent of bachelor&rsquo;s degrees held by women in 2012 though they constituted 12.7 percent of the female population.<\/span><\/li><li>The most current available data show that African American women only made African American women only earned $610 per week, whereas African American men made $666 and white women&rsquo;s median usual weekly earnings were $718 in the second quarter of 2013.<\/li><li>The poverty rate of African American <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: lesbian\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;lesbian&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Lesbian reflects female-aligned individuals that primarily attracted to other female-aligned individuals. Make sure it is appropriate as an ally to use this label in relation to another&amp;#039;s sexuality. Some people that like female-aligned individuals just use the term gay. Use the terms that people are using to describe themselves. If someone says they are gay and like people that like female-aligned individuals say that they are gay. Saying lesbian may not be appropriate because it could limit a person&amp;#039;s sexuality if they still figuring it out.I again point you towards GLSEN and The Trevor Project for support. Check out my resource hub as well!&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>lesbian<\/span> couples is 21.1 percent versus 4.3 percent for white <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: lesbian\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;lesbian&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Lesbian reflects female-aligned individuals that primarily attracted to other female-aligned individuals. Make sure it is appropriate as an ally to use this label in relation to another&amp;#039;s sexuality. Some people that like female-aligned individuals just use the term gay. Use the terms that people are using to describe themselves. If someone says they are gay and like people that like female-aligned individuals say that they are gay. Saying lesbian may not be appropriate because it could limit a person&amp;#039;s sexuality if they still figuring it out.I again point you towards GLSEN and The Trevor Project for support. Check out my resource hub as well!&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>lesbian<\/span> couples.<\/li><li>64 cents to the dollar compared to white, non-Hispanic men in 2010. White women made 78.1 cents to the same dollar.<\/li><li>African American girls and women 12 years and older experienced higher rates of rape and sexual assault than White, Asian, and Latina girls and women from 2005-2010.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2af5efe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2af5efe\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bc88695\" data-id=\"bc88695\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52bff78 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"52bff78\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3454\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/9c38d32e2ffd3b70b3ef151322e2fd70-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e15f584 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e15f584\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1e77976\" data-id=\"1e77976\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0a52c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b0a52c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>What Needs to Change To Support Black Women<\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-654a50e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"654a50e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e2d6ec2\" data-id=\"e2d6ec2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c337408 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c337408\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are not just fighting for police reform, for racial equality, or for black lives. We need to be fighting for justice for black women in every single discussion of these issues. Black women of all <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: gender\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;gender&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;The World Health Organization defines this as the result of socially constructed ideas about the behavior, actions, and roles of a particular sex. It is not interchangeable with sex, which is based off genitals. It is decided is based on our internal experience, or &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;gender identity&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;.A person cannot choose gender identity, but they can choose words to define it.&nbsp; People can identify as male, female, transgender, non-binary. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Genderqueer&nbsp;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;is term used for those who don&amp;#039;t fit into the identity of masculine or feminine. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Genderfluid &amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;represents those who may feel a woman for some period of time, or a man for another period of time. Some do identify as &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;agender&nbsp;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;which can vary in meaning for many people but could mean genderless.It&amp;#039;s important to recognize&nbsp;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;gender diversity. &amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;This is an umbrella term to describe an ever-evolving array of labels people may apply when their identity does not conform to the norms and stereotypes others expect.This article is a great explanation of the above concepts.Check out my resource hub for more information.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>gender<\/span> identities and sexualities as well. I will be following up this post with a discussion about black women that identify as trans and <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: queer\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;queer&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Queer is an umbrella term that is used by some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community, including some people that are polysexual , choose to identify as such. This may be because they feel it offers them more sexual fluidity than choosing another label (Medium.com). Some people that are LGBTQIA+ reject the word queer. This is because the term has a history of use as a slur against the LGBTQ+ community. For others, this may be because another label holds more power for them personally.Listen to your friends and use the terminology that they use to refer to themselves. If you&rsquo;ve only ever heard a friend refer to themselves as pansexual, don&rsquo;t call them bisexual and vice versa.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;The only caveat to this would be a warning to straight people about using the word. As some do find the word to be offensive, a Medium.com writer advises against using the word at all unless someone has explicitly told you this is how they want to be referred to.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;For more information, read this article about the complications of the word.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>queer<\/span>. I do not feel I can adequately and respectfully cover advocacy for this group in a post not specifically for them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I cannot speak for black women. I cannot speak for every black women&rsquo;s experience. Not everything I discuss in this post will apply to every black woman. Make sure to get to know each black woman&rsquo;s individual experience just like you would do with any other identity. Here, I am taking what I have learned from my black women peers and close friends, from attending protests in the last month, and from my anti-racism education.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;Many black women protested have shared the pain they have felt all their lives from having to constantly handle being seen as always being strong, from being left out of the racial justice movement, from experiencing fatal health care disparities, especially when pregnant.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All black lives matter, but they will not all matter until black women&rsquo;s lives matter. Black women don&rsquo;t just deserve to matter, they deserve to receive equitable healthcare, education, jobs, salary, and lives. So many women are losing their lives because they don&rsquo;t get the healthcare they need and deserve, while their white female counterparts do. They deserve a life where they focus on achieving what they are striving for, not just fighting to survive. Not just constantly having to prove themselves and be perfect every step of the way.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&rsquo;ve heard and read black women say that in the workforce they feel the pressure to be perfect because if they mess up, the consequences are greater for them. This is something I will never relate to, but is articulated well is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leader.pubs.asha.org\/do\/10.1044\/2020-0624-experience-black-slp?fbclid=IwAR10lENsMJEhFxvMH9yNJOwQrtyhJ-YvX5hLZN-VtTFOnTxGtkDaVfklE2I\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this article <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by a black speech-language pathologist. This experience is not unique to the author, Ingrid, but to black women in many fields.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/rhoneshabyng\/2017\/08\/31\/failure-is-not-an-option-the-pressure-black-women-feel-to-succeed\/#11281a9d3fad\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> article<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Forbes, Luvvie Ajayi says&nbsp; &ldquo;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people I&rsquo;ve spoken with feel the responsibility to not fail because we don&rsquo;t feel like we can afford to fail. Our success is considered the exception and our failure is considered the rule.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black women experience challenges and discrimination every single day. But we should not pity them. That is not productive and not acceptable. They deserve support and advocacy, not pity.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-00b54a8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"00b54a8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1e5175c\" data-id=\"1e5175c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9d50d4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b9d50d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>How Can We Advocate for Black Women? <\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cadbcc1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cadbcc1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1bcc084\" data-id=\"1bcc084\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-292b293 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"292b293\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"280\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/download.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3455\" alt=\"black women\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ae9096f\" data-id=\"ae9096f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81040a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"81040a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"850\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sanders_Blackwomen_850_567.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3457\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sanders_Blackwomen_850_567.jpg 850w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sanders_Blackwomen_850_567-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sanders_Blackwomen_850_567-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sanders_Blackwomen_850_567-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b0ae893 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b0ae893\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bd90342\" data-id=\"bd90342\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f8de47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7f8de47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, no change will come until we take action. How can we make change?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><ol><li><b>Critically examine the portrayal of black women in storytelling. Search for media and literature that will portray many different kinds of black women. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many books included black women stereotypes as a Jezebel, or innately promiscuous and predatory, while white women were portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, modesty and purity. Other stereotypes include the strong black woman, the independent black woman, the angry black woman. While not all of these portrayals are negative, they put even more pressure on the black woman to succeed and be perfect. It is important for black girls to consume media and books with many kinds of representation, so girls know they can be vulnerable and can achieve many different things. As advocates, we need to consume these stories as well so we can do our best to understand the black experience and make break down our unconscious bias and stereotypes of black women, especially in the workforce. Read these books to your children from a young age.&nbsp; Check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/social-justice-books\/\"><strong>Social Justice Book List<\/strong><\/a> for books that feature nuanced female protagonists. I recommend watching shows and movies like #blackAF, Little Fires Everywhere, Dear White People, Insecure, Akeelah and the Bee, The Princess and the Frog, and Hidden Figures.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-59ec1f5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"59ec1f5\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bd784e9\" data-id=\"bd784e9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05a375c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"05a375c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"648\" height=\"463\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/hattie.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3458\" alt=\"black women advocacy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/hattie.jpg 648w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/hattie-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/hattie-600x429.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-22bafb3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"22bafb3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4d521cc\" data-id=\"4d521cc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ce7fd54 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ce7fd54\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>2. If you are a non-black woman, especially a white woman, recognize the privileges you have and consider how you can use them to support black women<\/b>. Listen to them and work to understand the systems that cause the oppression they face. Be honest with yourself about what black women experience, the part your privileges play into the systemic oppression of black women, your unconscious biases, and the origin of said biases. Bette Park Sacks, writer of<i> Invisible Visits: Black Middle Class Women in the American Healthcare System <\/i>writes that:&nbsp;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c606cde elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c606cde\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f51acb1\" data-id=\"f51acb1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a611f72 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a611f72\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p><blockquote style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 25pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333333; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><i>One way is to be honest about what is happening, and to train physicians and medical staff to see the patient who walks in the door not just as a collection of biological indicators and genes, but to understand the social environment that leads to poor health in the first place, and not to blame the patient for their health problems. Access to high-quality healthcare, free from discrimination, should be the baseline in the richest country in the world. Although we are a long way away from that, we must aspire to that ideal.&rdquo;<\/i><\/span><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0197969 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0197969\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-16b4a8f\" data-id=\"16b4a8f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84be432 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"84be432\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/446c322b905bd4cbb496aa5216b506d1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3456\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/446c322b905bd4cbb496aa5216b506d1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/446c322b905bd4cbb496aa5216b506d1-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/446c322b905bd4cbb496aa5216b506d1-600x750.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-eac42a3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"eac42a3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-11e3317\" data-id=\"11e3317\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-895f4ce elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"895f4ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><b>3. Have uncomfortable conversations with black women. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To truly change your unconscious biases, you need to have honest conversations with black women. Actively<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">listen and validate their experiences. Make the conversations centered on their experience and struggles, not about your response to them. Additionally, think about how you as a white person contribute to the inequities black women face. Ask how you can help each person specifically- not every black women has the same experience and the same needs.&nbsp; Take what you have learned and use it to take action by educating others, challenging others that are racist or staying silent, making change in the systems you are apart of, and continue to self-educate about your personal unconscious bias.&nbsp;<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><br><br><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7737c75 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7737c75\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1f18a3c\" data-id=\"1f18a3c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1573d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a1573d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>How to Advocate for Black Women from Here<\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4d8c3dd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4d8c3dd\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-42684a7\" data-id=\"42684a7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-675510d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"675510d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"850\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cde092d8a2836a1a11cc50d6ea40103c.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3460\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cde092d8a2836a1a11cc50d6ea40103c.jpg 850w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cde092d8a2836a1a11cc50d6ea40103c-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cde092d8a2836a1a11cc50d6ea40103c-768x361.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cde092d8a2836a1a11cc50d6ea40103c-600x282.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-679339e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"679339e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0f074db\" data-id=\"0f074db\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de69cd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de69cd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I know this blog post isn&rsquo;t perfect. I have delayed and delayed writing it. I wanted to get it exactly right and not say anything incorrect or offensive. The thing is, it will never be perfect. Part of being an advocate as a white woman is being willing to make mistakes. I can never relate to the experience of being a black woman. Likely, something I said above is incorrect or unfair to say. That is part of my privilege and I am here to grow and learn from any mistakes I make. I am not here to be told I am a &ldquo;good ally&rdquo;. This is not about me, it&rsquo;s not about praise. It&rsquo;s about doing the work for black women because they have been doing the work likely since they were born.<\/p><p>Likely there will parts of the black female experience I exclude. I hope that if any black women feel in a place where they can give feedback, that it will help me move forward. However, it is not their job to correct me, it is my own. I will continue to educate myself to make sure I can be the most supportive advocate I can be.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Of course, my voice is not the one that needs to be here. If you take anything away from this, it&rsquo;s to go listen to black women. Make sure your life includes black voices. In the books you read, the peers you engage with, the media you consume, the social media accounts you follow. I see one too many whitewashed social media accounts and feeds. Here are five black women you can follow right now:&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 25px; text-align: center;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-08d3010 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"08d3010\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5eaf7f9\" data-id=\"5eaf7f9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-261ccae elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"261ccae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CB9LH8VnxjI\/\"><b>Rachel Cargle, @rachel.cargle<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-911c0a4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"911c0a4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b3d5a1b\" data-id=\"b3d5a1b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ead57f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ead57f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3442\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/46459385_2249555565289889_3305581099299635200_o.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c26131 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5c26131\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f9c6baf\" data-id=\"f9c6baf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9223ba6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9223ba6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born public academic, writer, and lecturer. Her activist and academic work are rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood. Her social media platforms engage a community of over 1.8 million through which Rachel guides conversations, encourages critical thinking and nurtures meaningful engagement with people all over the world. Her upcoming book, I Don&rsquo;t Want Your Love and Light with The Dial Press\/Penguin Random House, is an examination of feminism through the lens of race and how we are in relationship with ourselves and one another.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3b0cf08 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3b0cf08\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-31c4f45\" data-id=\"31c4f45\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cff98b8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cff98b8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/valencia_valencia\/\"><b> Valencia De'La Clay, @valencia_valencia<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-914bccf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"914bccf\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1c37674\" data-id=\"1c37674\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be7b746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"be7b746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3443\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/tdy_mk_news_teacher_180927_1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ad5504a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ad5504a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-056304c\" data-id=\"056304c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9c096e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d9c096e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Valencia De&rsquo;La Clay is a teacher, but she does much more than that. She developed her following by crafting lesson plans designed to empower her eighth grade students and posting video clips of her classes on Instagram. In addition to insight into her teaching style, Valencia&rsquo;s insta followers can see her musings on everything from her hairstyles to her struggle with depression, along with snippets of her daily life (one recent post highlighted her acceptance to the Johns Hopkins School of Education doctorate program). Offline, she also works to help her fellow educators develop more progressive, impactful lesson plans by leading local teaching workshops. She wrote a book called <em>Soundless Cries Don&rsquo;t Lead to Healing: A Critical Thinking to Cultural Consciousness.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cbeb03b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cbeb03b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a0b0498\" data-id=\"a0b0498\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47e6c25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"47e6c25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nettaaaaaaaa\"><b>Johnetta Elzie, @nettaaaaaaa<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a959e88 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a959e88\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-97b0ecd\" data-id=\"97b0ecd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f32cf59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f32cf59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cd50960d-02fd-44f5-b95b-8e4d34c71538.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3444\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cd50960d-02fd-44f5-b95b-8e4d34c71538.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cd50960d-02fd-44f5-b95b-8e4d34c71538-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cd50960d-02fd-44f5-b95b-8e4d34c71538-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cd50960d-02fd-44f5-b95b-8e4d34c71538-100x100.jpeg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e7a2f22 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e7a2f22\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a755f19\" data-id=\"a755f19\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b17375e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b17375e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"left-column\"><div id=\"editorial-content\"><div class=\"section-text\">Johnetta Elzie is a co-writer for the newsletter&nbsp;<em><a href=\"http:\/\/thisisthemovement.launchrock.com\/\">This Is The Movement<\/a><\/em>. Johnetta is most active on Twitter, if that&rsquo;s your preferred social media site! She is a major voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement. As the list of black lives tragically lost to police violence grows, so does Johnetta&rsquo;s voice for equal rights, now reaching hundreds of thousands on her social media feeds. As a proud young black woman, she fights for a future where police violence doesn&rsquo;t have to be part of anyone&rsquo;s reality.&nbsp;<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"right-rail-ad-container\" data-slot-is-loaded=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fdbebc6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fdbebc6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-28fddfd\" data-id=\"28fddfd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e48f326 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e48f326\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/charlenecarruthers\/\"><b>Charlene Caruthers, @charlenecaruthers<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1c7e740 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1c7e740\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6c4a1b6\" data-id=\"6c4a1b6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e723db2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e723db2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3445\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/charlene-008.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-74ce9cf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"74ce9cf\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c6eefa4\" data-id=\"c6eefa4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-85c0846 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"85c0846\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Charlene A. Carruthers is a Black, <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: queer\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;queer&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Queer is an umbrella term that is used by some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community, including some people that are polysexual , choose to identify as such. This may be because they feel it offers them more sexual fluidity than choosing another label (Medium.com). Some people that are LGBTQIA+ reject the word queer. This is because the term has a history of use as a slur against the LGBTQ+ community. For others, this may be because another label holds more power for them personally.Listen to your friends and use the terminology that they use to refer to themselves. If you&rsquo;ve only ever heard a friend refer to themselves as pansexual, don&rsquo;t call them bisexual and vice versa.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;The only caveat to this would be a warning to straight people about using the word. As some do find the word to be offensive, a Medium.com writer advises against using the word at all unless someone has explicitly told you this is how they want to be referred to.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;For more information, read this article about the complications of the word.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>queer<\/span> feminist community organizer and writer with over 15 years of experience in racial justice, feminist and youth leadership development movement work. Charlene is author of the bestselling book, <em>Unapologetic: A Black, <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: queer\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;queer&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Queer is an umbrella term that is used by some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community, including some people that are polysexual , choose to identify as such. This may be because they feel it offers them more sexual fluidity than choosing another label (Medium.com). Some people that are LGBTQIA+ reject the word queer. This is because the term has a history of use as a slur against the LGBTQ+ community. For others, this may be because another label holds more power for them personally.Listen to your friends and use the terminology that they use to refer to themselves. If you&rsquo;ve only ever heard a friend refer to themselves as pansexual, don&rsquo;t call them bisexual and vice versa.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;The only caveat to this would be a warning to straight people about using the word. As some do find the word to be offensive, a Medium.com writer advises against using the word at all unless someone has explicitly told you this is how they want to be referred to.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;For more information, read this article about the complications of the word.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>Queer<\/span> and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements<\/em>, available in English and Spanish languages (Beacon Press).&nbsp;As the founding national director of BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100), she has worked alongside hundreds of young Black activists to build a national base of activist member-led organization of Black 18-35 year olds dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people.Charlene is the founder and executive director of the Chicago Center for Leadership and Transformation, a locally rooted and nationally connected learning community for political education, grassroots organizing, language and strategic communications capacity building.&nbsp;believer in telling more complete stories about the Black Radical Tradition, Charlene provides critical analysis, political education and leadership development training for activists across the globe.&nbsp;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d2281c4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d2281c4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-db3fc06\" data-id=\"db3fc06\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4089ce9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4089ce9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gurlstalk\/\"><b>Adwoa Aboah, @gurlstalk <\/b><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8c76d26 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8c76d26\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-94f2bcd\" data-id=\"94f2bcd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-22b1567 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"22b1567\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"810\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2-810x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3450\" alt=\"black women\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2-810x1024.jpg 810w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2-768x971.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2-600x759.jpg 600w, https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ww-asos-mag-adwoa-aboah-2.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3068636 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3068636\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-39f80cd\" data-id=\"39f80cd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-653ef0d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"653ef0d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Adwoa Aboah founded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gurlstalk.com\/\">Gurls Talk<\/a> &mdash; an online community for women to communicate about sensitive topics freely and candidly with a supportive, interactive audience. Women can share their personal stories about <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: sex\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;sex&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Sex refers to the biological differences between individuals that are male-aligned or female-aligned, such as the genitalia and genetic differences. Sex is not the same as gender. I use these terms &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;&amp;quot;male-aligned&amp;quot;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; or &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;&amp;quot;female-aligned&amp;quot;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; because it is more representative of identities. A reader provided a great example, that not everyone who is female aligned has matching parts. Trans women can be female aligned whether or not they&rsquo;ve had surgery, and folks who have female parts may be male-aligned or non-binary.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>sex<\/span>, self care, mental health, and <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  title=\"Glossary: gender\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;gender&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;The World Health Organization defines this as the result of socially constructed ideas about the behavior, actions, and roles of a particular sex. It is not interchangeable with sex, which is based off genitals. It is decided is based on our internal experience, or &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;gender identity&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;.A person cannot choose gender identity, but they can choose words to define it.&nbsp; People can identify as male, female, transgender, non-binary. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Genderqueer&nbsp;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;is term used for those who don&amp;#039;t fit into the identity of masculine or feminine. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Genderfluid &amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;represents those who may feel a woman for some period of time, or a man for another period of time. Some do identify as &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;agender&nbsp;&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;which can vary in meaning for many people but could mean genderless.It&amp;#039;s important to recognize&nbsp;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;gender diversity. &amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;This is an umbrella term to describe an ever-evolving array of labels people may apply when their identity does not conform to the norms and stereotypes others expect.This article is a great explanation of the above concepts.Check out my resource hub for more information.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>gender<\/span> dynamics freely. There also is a hotline for men experiencing challenges with mental health.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Adwoa is an activist and model and is using her platform to elevate black voices.&nbsp;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-40c601d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40c601d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-76ce753\" data-id=\"76ce753\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4bf7c33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4bf7c33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Sources <\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6ddab22 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6ddab22\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-23c022f\" data-id=\"23c022f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-502bb43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"502bb43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/aljazeera.com\/programmes\/thestream\/2020\/06\/women-left-black-lives-matter-movement-200624162614329.html\"><b>Are Women Being Left Out of the Black Lives Matter Movement?<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/black-women-deserve-better-will-2019-be-the-year-of-change\/2019\/01\/09\/fc40e842-1439-11e9-803c-4ef28312c8b9_story.html\"><b>Black Women Deserve Better<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/issues\/race\/reports\/2013\/11\/07\/79165\/fact-sheet-the-state-of-african-american-women-in-the-united-states\/\"><b>Fact Sheet: The State of African-American Women in The United States&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p><b><br><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/issues\/race\/reports\/2013\/11\/07\/79165\/fact-sheet-the-state-of-african-american-women-in-the-united-states\/\"><b>What Lies Beneath: What it Means to be a Black SLP<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/rhoneshabyng\/2017\/08\/31\/failure-is-not-an-option-the-pressure-black-women-feel-to-succeed\/#11281a9d3fad\"><b>Failure is Not an Option: The Pressure Black Women Feel to Succeed <\/b><b><br><br><\/b><\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ferris.edu\/jimcrow\/jezebel\/\"><b>The Jezebel Stereotype<\/b><\/a><\/p><p><b><br><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/journals-sagepub-com.proxygw.wrlc.org\/doi\/10.1177\/0361684318791543\"><b>Revisiting the Jezebel Stereotype: The Impact of Target Race on Sexual Objectification<\/b><\/a><\/p><p><b><br><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stereotypes_of_African_Americans#Strong_black_woman\"><b>Stereotypes of African Americans<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/electricliterature.com\/10-books-with-wonderfully-nuanced-black-female-protagonists\/\"><b>Books with Wonderfully Nuanced Black Protagonists<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecommons.luc.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=4708&amp;context=luc_theses\"><b>American Depictions of Black Women in Film Media<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.bluecrossmn.com\/how-to-be-an-ally-insights-from-african-american-women-at-blue-cross\/\"><b>How to be an Ally: Insights from African American Women at the Blue Cross<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/black-women-metoo-antirape-movement#1\"><b>#MeToo Won&rsquo;t Succeed if we Don&rsquo;t Listen to Black Women<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.al.com\/news\/birmingham\/2018\/03\/birmingham_group_improving_men.html\"><b>Birmingham Group Advocating for the Mental Health of Black Women Nationwide<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityofcalifornia.edu\/news\/why-middle-class-black-women-dread-doctor-s-office\"><b>Why Middle-Class Black Women Dread the Doctor&rsquo;s Office<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womensmediacenter.com\/fbomb\/why-we-need-more-complex-black-female-characters\"><b>Why We Need More Complex Black Female Characters<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/picture-books-featuring-black-female-protagonists\/\"><b>Black Girl Magic: 33 Picture Books Featuring Black Female Protagonists<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/blog\/kids\/15-books-starring-black-girls-for-readers-of-all-ages\/\"><b>15 Books Starring Black Girls for Readers of All Ages<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ideas\/amzn1.account.AFP4WV4UGVUXR3PC5ZSOAYX442BA\/3OBYVVNERBW4E\"><b>Chapter Books With African American Female Main Characters&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/whatrahnisreading.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/07\/from-mom-chapter-books-for-african-american-girls\/\"><b>From Mom: Chapter Books for African American Girls&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.literacious.com\/2017\/03\/11\/30-chapter-books-featuring-black-protagonists\/\"><b>Thirty Chapter Books Featuring Black Protagonists&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amightygirl.com\/blog?p=14276\"><b>75 Books About Extradorinary Black Mighty Girls and Women&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/ujimacommunity.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Ujima-Womens-Violence-Stats-v7.4-1.pdf\"><b>Black Women and Sexual Assault&nbsp;<\/b><\/a><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-us\/black-influencer-activists-to-follow#slide-6\"><b>These Activists Are Using Social Media To Empower Black Women<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Can We Understand the Experience of Black Women? In the last month, there&rsquo;s been two big names as part of the movement against police brutality.&nbsp; Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.&nbsp; One person&rsquo;s murderers were arrested and one&rsquo;s weren&rsquo;t. George Floyd was murdered on May 25th, and Derek Chauvin was arrested four days later. Breonna &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/social-justice\/advocacy-for-black-women\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advocacy for Black Women<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27a8af9fec907850562e6fb4e9a6dcb5.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"norah.aljunaidi@gmail.com","author_link":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/author\/norah-aljunaidigmail-com\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3438"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3467,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions\/3467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norahspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}