Thread by @monicarsimpson

I love Black love. I love Black joy. I'm here for Black brilliance. But I want to take a moment to talk about something that we clearly need to talk about more:

Black vulnerability.

1/9

I am still thinking about the backlash @Simone_Biles & Naomi got for their decisions to take the time they needed for themselves. This is a reminder of the stigma that still exists around mental health.

And for Black women, this is especially intense.

2/9

Black women are at the frontlines of every major movement.

We're electing presidents and senators, we're turning red states blue, and we're fighting for nothing less than social justice and the liberation of our communities. We're setting records and making history.

3/9

And we are TIRED, ya'll. Our bodies are suffering. Our souls are aching.

4/9

For the last 20 years, I've put my body wherever it needed to be: in community, on planes, at protests.

I've been strong and I've been fearless because vulnerability is risky for Black women. It means making yourself soft to a world you know wants to hurt you.

5/9

But I think we all need a soft space to land & take care of ourselves.

Sometimes we need to say no. Sometimes we need to ask for help. Sometimes we have to take a day or more.

I didn't know how to do this. I'm supposed to be strong, right?

No. I'm supposed to be whole.

6/9

I'm learning to manage my anxiety without being ashamed.

I'm healing and facing fears that I ignored because of work.

If we don't experience liberation from our own trauma, how can we build a world where liberation is possible for all our people?

7/9

This is the most honest I've ever been as a leader.

There is a part of me (ego) that is scared of what people will think. But I am purposing to be a leader that isn't afraid to be vulnerable about my own healing, fears, and dreams.

8/9

But just because I am dealing with all these things and choosing to care for myself doesn't mean that I'm not strong.

Courage means nothing without fear.

By the same token, my strength is only as great as my ability to be vulnerable.

9/9