Who do we think we are? (We have felt that one a lot.)
They said we were wrong.
Less.
Trash.
Worthless.
The said we were chattel.
Property.
Something to be used, pimped, then disregarded.
They said we’d never make it.
Never last.
Never amount to anything.
Be somebody.
They said we brought it on ourselves.
We were too much.
Too loud. Too demanding. Too strong.
They said we were not enough.
Not pretty enough. Smart enough. White enough. (subtly in one way or the other)
And…
Over time…
We believed them.
So we started to self-censor.
We stopped speaking up.
We stopped talking back.
We started to settle.
We started to make do to get by.
Now making do and making it work has become a way of life.
But deep down…
We knew in our hearts; they were wrong.
We knew in our gut that this wasn’t right.
We knew in our soul and our spirit we were more than this.
Then it happened.
A simple tremor in the Universe.
A quiet quiver in the stratosphere.
A smoldering quake in consciousness.
With nothing, from the bottom up, there came a mighty deep baritone rumbling.
Spirit deep.
But by the time it reached our lips, it had become a mighty roar!
We matter.
It’s a new day.
It’s our time.
Times have changed.
People have changed.
There is a Black man in the White House.
They said it couldn’t be done.
Hell, we said it couldn’t be done.
They were wrong.
We were wrong.
We were wrong about ourselves.
What if we are not chattel, property sold to the highest bidder for a good job, a steady paycheck, health insurance, or a tight 401k?
What if we could heal our dowry of wounds bestowed upon us by our mothers so our daughters don’t get the same inheritance, multiplied?
What if we stopped hurting ourselves with food, empty sex, and relationships where we give way too much?
What if we stopped hiding at church or at work because we are afraid to come home to an empty bed, a loveless marriage, are an abusive spouse/lover?
What if we stopped believing and behaving like we have to sacrifice to be loved, belong, or be liked?
What if we were no longer secretly afraid if we change, we would lose people, approval, acceptance, and love?
What if took ourselves inside ourselves and healed our own hearts so we could claim our rightful place at the top?
What if we lived every aspect of our lives like we mattered…to ourselves?
(Take a moment right now, and inhale deeply 5 times. Close you eyes. Put you hand over your heart and say to you, as a sacred prayer, “I Matter. To Me.” Exhale. Repeat until you believe it. Repeat until you are moved to tears by how magnificent you are and all ways have been. Open your eyes. You are your own best thing. Go on. Do it now. I will wait for you…)
Walk with me for a minute and just imagine…
…living a life where the history of hurt no longer hinders us…
What if we loved, honored, and respected the God in us, as us?
What if we emancipated ourselves—emotionally, mentally, and financially?
What if we set our own selves free—so we NEVER have to slave again?
Dr. Venus Opal Reese is a staggeringly effective Business Mentor for Black Women, whose in the business of teaching purpose-driven high achieving sisters (who’ve walked through life’s fire) how to create, grow, or leverage a 6 or 7 figure business that is rooted in their worth. Because she too has walk through life’s fire—and turned it into a proven business model that generates millions for my clients—she knows what it takes to produce unprecedented results. Visit http://www.defyimpossible.com/six-figure-secrets-for-sisters today for your free training and more information.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOxNvQxUcnk%5D
The ‘We Matter’ Manifesto was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
