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Sister
- Jay Rene
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
“Sister… you've been on my mind. Oh, Sister, we’re two of a kind, so…Sister, I’m keeping my eye on you…”
“Sister… you've been on my mind. Oh, Sister, we’re two of a kind, so…Sister, I’m keeping my eye on you…” Hello Sisters, I am probably showing my age with that song snippet, but that is just fine with me. With this age of mine comes a little wisdom from some bumps, some bruises, some tears, but most definitely some triumphs. So, I don’t mind showing my age, but I hope to simultaneously sho w some wisdom above.
On the internet, I see our Queens showing no love to each other, or even worse, spewing hate. Are we ok? Why are we so mad at each other? Where is love, and why is there so much hate? However, don’t believe the hype. It is more of us who love each other than hate each other, but the internet has a way of making the heat seem magnified.
I often ponder these types of things as I scroll through social media. At times, I feel the urge to say something myself, not so loving, but I pause. At times, I feel as if something is pulling inside of me when I catch myself. I ask myself, “Why were you about to do that?” and I must admit I am usually unhappy when it hits.
We all have unhappy times…what we do during those times matters most. My misery has never loved company, but when you introduce social media to the equation, you can find yourself doing just that - looking for company in your misery. However, the beautiful thing about life is that as long as we are alive, we can learn, grow, and do better things. Girl power is a thing, but Black Girl Magic… whew… now that is necessary, magical, inspirational, and ancestral.
One of the first things we must do is heal. Heal from old trauma, old relationships, old addictions, old mistakes. We must forgive ourselves and give ourselves the grace we give everyone else. At times, we are the least appreciated, least supported, and least protected. We must not be part of the problem, but part of the solution.
Next, we must check ourselves. This can be the hard part. There is a song from back in the day by Ice Cube and Das EFX. The song goes “check yourself before you wreck yourself” …am I showing my gray hair again? Well, the ability to do this is a superpower.
Checking ourselves keeps someone else from having to do it. It gives us pause before we say or do the wrong thing. It is valuable, and every Black Queen must conquer this superpower. Also, our power is in our unity. Our power is in our love, compassion, and empathy for each other. We should be lifting each other, motivating each other for greatness, supporting each other's dreams and hopes, and helping each other conquer our fears and obstacles.
The world around us hates us enough; we can’t afford to hate each other. There was a time when the pride of being a Black woman overrode petty things. Where we raised our fists together and said Black power, and all power to the people.
That spirit is still in us. It is deep and our souls… entrenched in our bones. It’s the reason that we know how to season food without a cookbook, and we know how to heal ourselves from herbs, and how our hips move to their own rhythm that is always on beat.
Start with inside your own home. If you have girls who live in the same house as you, build them up and lift them up. Be everything that you needed. Then extend that love to your community. When you see your fellow sister, say hello and ask her how she’s doing. If you see that she’s struggling, offer some support, even if it’s just encouraging words. Help our elderly women, our mothers, and young sisters, trying to carve out their part of the dream.
Our nation is only as strong as we are. We are the ones who raise our future, and we must lead with love so that our nation can rise, strong and lasting. Take a vow with me…that when it comes to our fellow Sisters, we pick up the mantra of “I have my Sisters back.”
Together we are stronger. Together we are powerful and together we create our future. We have purpose, we are needed, we are loved and we are necessary. Stay encouraged and Sister… I got your back.
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