It is no secret that in today’s society, people are way more open, vocal and respectful of others who don’t “fit the norm,” in particular, the black community. The black community has broken down walls of past stereotypes and negative connotations they held to change with the times and accept all of its brothers and sisters for who they are. It was a known fact, back in the day, that in the black community, some people didn’t respect and were even ashamed of certain cultural lifestyles or how people looked and acted.
Fast forward to the current day, and there has been almost a sea change in the black community’s way of thinking regarding things such as homosexuality, body shape, weight or the oppression of women.
When Rihanna made the switch from music to fashion, no one really knew what to expect. But Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty lingerie line embodies everything it means to be accepting and empowering.
If you go on either of the companies’ websites, you can immediately see the inclusivity that is missing on so many brands advertising campaigns. There are big women, skinny women, women with vitiligo, lesbians and bisexual women and a pleasing amount of black women. Rihanna wanted to create a brand that when women, specifically black women like herself, open the website they can see someone that looks like them.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Rihanna said, “That consumer is one that’s been neglected before, and I’m not gonna let that happen here.”
In addition to fashion, black people have also made commendable strides in politics. The election of Barack Obama really showed us the power black people have when they support each other. Obama’s election as the first black U.S. president set off a
restorative era within the black community and the U.S. as a whole.Despite the growth, there have been many things that have happened in the last decade at least that makes black people ask, “Did we go back in time to the ’50s?” A prime example was the Delrawn Small case. It is not okay that we still feel the burden of oppression and injustice.
As a community, I think we finally began to see the bigger picture. We need to be uplifting one another to be the best versions of ourselves because there more than enough people in the world to tear us down.
That is why at Georgia State, we have black empowerment organizations like Softer Touch and Tighter Grip. The two are brother and sister organizations to each other and both strive to serve as a sisterhood and brotherhood for men and women of color, through things like mentorship and service.
After speaking to a few black students at Georgia State and Howard University, I feel this statement given by Jordyn Burrell from Howard sums up the discussion very nicely: “I think the black community is so supportive of each other because we’re all we have. As black people, we feel that it is almost necessary to support each other and go hard for each other because no one else will.”
The short answer to the question, “Why are black people in today’s society more empowering to each other?” can be found in the words of African-American drag legend RuPaul Charles: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
