To no longer see myself as "lucky" to be in the master’s house would be to shed the weight of a lie I've been taught to internalize. It would mean recognizing that my worth was never defined by my proximity to whiteness or by how well I performed in a system designed to keep me grateful for the scraps it offered. It would feel like finally exhaling after holding my breath for a lifetime—releasing the burden of feeling like I have to prove my humanity, my worth, through someone else’s lens.
Reclaiming my identity would mean seeing my Blackness not as something I must suppress or hide but as something powerful, full of history, resilience, and beauty. It would be a radical shift—from seeing myself as an outsider in my own skin to feeling whole, grounded, and rooted in a legacy that’s as strong as the deepest roots of any tree. My Blackness would no longer be a source of shame or guilt but a source of pride and strength, something worthy of respect, both from others and from myself. It would feel like liberation—not just from the system, but from the shackles I've placed on my own mind.
To create new beliefs, I would start by honoring the stories of my ancestors—their struggles, their victories, their complexities. My Blackness is not a monolith; it is a spectrum of experiences, emotions, and identities that all deserve space to exist. We can redefine what it means to be Black by embracing the fullness of our heritage, celebrating the ways we have shaped culture, art, thought, and history, even while the world tried to erase us.
The new beliefs we create can honor the truth that Blackness is not a condition to be survived but a gift to be celebrated. We can rewrite the narrative so that success is no longer measured by how well we conform to white standards, but by how authentically we live in our truth, how deeply we love ourselves and each other. We can embrace the idea that we deserve joy, rest, and freedom—not because we’ve earned it by suffering, but because it’s our birthright.
In redefining Blackness, we can honor the strength of our ancestors while also allowing ourselves the space to be soft, to heal, to thrive. We can let go of the need to perform or prove our worth and instead embrace the belief that simply being who we are is enough. Blackness is power. Blackness is love. Blackness is worthy of honor, and I am worthy of embracing it, fully and unapologetically.
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