How To Release Internalized Anti-Blackness And Live Proudly
You are powerful. You are worthy. You are whole. You are important to your community. The lies society tries to tell about you roll off like divine rain. Unlearning the harmful anti-Black messages we get each day is spiritual work. Here’s how.
For generations anti-Blackness has spread lies about Blackness that our ancestors unfortunately internalized and unwittingly passed down to us. Part of our spiritual work is to unlearn these lies. Here are tips on how to release internalized anti-Blackness and live unapologetically in our truth.
# 1. Understand The Root Of Healing Is Love:
Before we can heal from racism and hatred we must grieve.
Anti-Blackness is enraging. At the root of rage is grief. At the root of grief is healing. At the root of healing is love. Our rage, love, and grief all serve a purpose in our healing journey.
#2. Release Control:
The original police forces were slave patrollers. That legacy lives on today. Another cop to be wary of is the controlling voice that lives inside our heads.
Anti-Black systems teach us to judge each other and ourselves for shallow reasons. Judgment is rooted in control. Before judging someone else, let’s ask: why am I trying to police this person?
# 3. Practice Praying and Extending Grace:
Dear God: Please grant us grace as we work through unlearning anti-Blackness. This is not easy work. Please give us the courage to face the parts of ourselves that have been taught to judge others. Please give us the strength to work on ourselves.
#4. Release Shame
There’s no shame in admitting we all have internalized anti-Blackness to work through and educate ourselves about. Letting go of the shame makes space for us to learn our history and appreciate the love God put into making us Black.
Anti-Blackness stole our enslaved ancestors from their homes and everything they knew.
On days where unlearning anti-Blackness feels overwhelming remember: This is an invitation from Spirit for us to come home.
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