Language of Strong Black Womanhood

In The Language of Strong Black Womanhood: Myths, Models, Messages, and a New Mandate for Self-Care, Black women of the Baby Boomer generation and Hip Hop generation share messages communicated and models witnessed in their socialization for strength revealing how this mandate endures in Black women’s lived experiences. They also express concern that self-care was not presented as critical for sustaining life as a strong Black woman—a concern shared by Black women bloggers who advocate resisting the myth and redefining strength for self-care. This Black feminist exploration of strong Black womanhood provides an alternative to harmful perceptions, constructions, and representations of Black women and suggests a mandate to move toward the revolutionary act of Black women’s self-care.

This is a very powerful, necessary, and essential body of work by an esteemed, womanist, sistah-friend-scholar. She captures the complex nuances of Black womanhood that is expressed in public, private, and academic spheres and dissects it in ways that offer depth and richness to our understandings of an all too often ignored important segment of our population—both in the United States and beyond. Black women—and even other women of color—will assuredly be enthralled by this book, as they will be affirmed and inspired to continue on the path towards making a difference in their communities, while also challenging the myth of a Super (Black) Woman who is sacrificial to a fault. Dr. Scott emboldens us to rethink who we are and engage in constructing/performing healthier models that embody self-care, as we sprinkle dashes of #BlackGirlMagic along the path for other Black women and girls who wish to follow in our footsteps or pave their own journey., This book provides engrossing historical and contemporary perspectives on the tenacious mandate of strong Black womanhood and its detrimental consequences for African American women. To help Black women survive and thrive, Dr. Karla Scott proposes a compelling Black feminist manifesto to sustain strength through revolutionary acts of self-care and self-love., This book is a revolutionary way of challenging prevailing notions of what it means to be a strong Black woman (SBW). Scott’s presentation of self-care juxtaposes the concept of SBW as a myth within and outside the black community. Black women are exposed to options of resisting being dehumanized and thriving on zero reaction to simple life experiences. All readers, whatever their race/ethnicity or gender, will find much to stimulate their intellect in this book. Its breadth, depth, and assembly of qualitative data provoke both thought and emotion. If Black women are going to claim they are the epitome of a Strong Black Woman, they must live it in a new way., Karla D. Scott boldly presents a manisfesto for self care ensconced in Black womanhood and framed in a luscious, declarative form of alliteration. As the late Maya Angelou notes, Scott locates the harmony of spirit as she carves a path for rivers to flow naturally, that otherwise have been dammed up by stress, anxiety, overburden, ancestral hurt, and relational pain. Scott challenges her readers to locate a new river that flows in giving back to the spirit, honoring the body, and integrating the dimensions of Black womanhood in ways that support the womanist notion of “care.” Care for self is such an anomaly in the tradition of Black women’s historical experience. We have been raised to stay in our place—to privilege others in their care while sedimentary to our own place of needs, desires, and expectations often slighted as dreams deferred and aspirations squelched. But, Scott’s decry lingers on the palate as a tasteful cuisine which challenges historical and contemporary notions of Black women’s place. Scott’s concept of womanist care presents a significant shift in Black women’s self care and offers a new framework for theorizing about Black women’s health, wellbeing, compassion, and resilience.

Karla D. Scott is associate professor of communication and assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at Saint Louis University.