Esther Rolle Was Called a Troublemaker. Her Answer Was, “But So Be It.”
Some people will call you difficult when you stop making things easy for them.
They'll say "you've changed." They'll say you have an "attitude." They'll tell you that you ought to be grateful for the opportunity you've been g [...]

Solange: Women Living Outside of the Expectations of Others
I remember when Solange cut her hair. It was an adorable short crop, but people were angry, and she went on the Oprah Winfrey show and addressed it. That's how big of a deal people made it. She went on Oprah. I found the entire [...]

Angela Bofill: When the Voice Was Gone, the Love Remained
Remembering an extraordinary Afro-Latina singer, her otherworldly voice, and the woman whose life was so much bigger than her music.
Some voices are so beautiful you remember exactly how they made you feel, even y [...]

Black Women and Essential Oils: Stories of Healing, Comfort, and Self-Care
Meet Black Survivors, advocates, and healing practitioners sharing their experiences with self-care, aromatherapy, body awareness, and reclaiming peace after trauma.
Sometimes healing begins with something as ordinary as a wa [...]

Black TV Comfort Watchlists: Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Episodes for a Cozy Holiday Season
Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's. Because Healing Requires Joy.
Some of us remember when holiday television was an event all by itself.
You knew Christmas was getting close when your favorite sitcom family started dec [...]
Sometimes Your Haters Are Your Unpaid Strength Coaches (updated for additional evidence of greatness)
Angel went straight to the source at the end of the game 😭
updated from July/2026
Listen, I love seeing female athletes reject that "sugar and spice and everything nice" stuff pushed on young ladies. If the "everything nic [...]

Gabourey Sidibe Dancing Through Jennifer Hudson’s Spirit Tunnel Is the Kind of Joy We Love to See
Now, wait a minute. Did y'all know Gabourey Sidibe could dance like THAT?
Because I knew she was a talented actress. I knew she was beautiful, funny, and had personality for days. But watching her come through Jennifer Hudson [...]
Joy for the Journey: Keke Palmer and Son Leo Recreate “Scream” for Halloween
“Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson is one of the most underrated sibling collaborations in popular music. And I think part of what makes it special is that neither artist had to shrink to make room for the other.
Rel [...]

Affirmation: I am not required to make myself smaller so that difficult truths remain hidden.
Affirmations for Boundaries and Transformation for Empaths
🌹 Affirmations for Transformation
My compassion includes myself.I can love others without abandoning me.
[...]
Affirmation: I will not confuse submission produced by fear with love freely given.
I’m Not Here to Be Believed by Everyone—I’m Here to Be Free
SurvivorAffirmations.com | Inspired by WeSurviveAbuse.com
Freedom is not the same as being liked.Freedom is not the same as being approved of.And f [...]
Survivor Affirmations: Being the Light You Need in Darkness
It is possible to be okay if you remember to hold on and be the light that you need in the darkness.
Affirmations: Being the Light You Need in Darkn [...]
BLACK GIRL, YOUR CREATIVITY HAS TRAVELED THE WORLD 🌍🤎
Look around.
Hair.
Fashion.
Dance.
Music.
Language.
Beauty.
Humor.
Style.
So much of what Black communities h [...]
You Are Enough. Always Were.
Dear Survivor,
Your superpower isn’t in what you’ve achieved,how well you hide the pain,or how perfectly you hold it all together.
Your superpower i [...]
45000on
Affirmation: I can forgive without restoring unsafe access.
Survivors Matter, You Are Not to Be Dismissed (audio)
Throwing it back to wisdom from Zora Neale Hurston, on refusing to be dismissed.
Here are 20 phrases people use to dismiss feelings. (2021)
[...]
✨ Survivor Affirmation ✨ You Are Not a Waiting Room
You are not a waiting room for people to come and go as they please.You are not a rest stop for those who disappear when it’s time to show up.You ar [...]
Wise Words from Dr. ShantaQuilette Develle MBA, PhD CFE, EA, CPLC
Is this wise advice or what?! She laid this out plain.
View this post on Instagram
[...]
🌱 Affirmations for the Survivor Accused of “Changing”
Here is a healing and empowering set of affirmations for Survivors who are being accused of “changing”—when in reality, they are growing, healing, and [...]
Affirmation: My safety matters even when protecting it disappoints other people.
Different Go-Go, Same Refusal to Disappear into Misery
I just discovered something beautiful.
There are two kinds of “GoGo.”
One was born in Washington, DC.
One comes from Tanzania.
And somehow [...]
✨ Knowing My Body Is My Birthright. ✨
Knowing about my body and how it functions is not shameful.It is not taboo.It is not “too much.”
It is my right.As a woman.As a human being.As someon [...]
After Jason Arday: Black People Must Be Allowed to Be Human
‘The question is not whether racism exists, but how it manifests.’ Ta-Nehisi Coates
Can you make it past this phrase? I'm having a hard time doing so [...]
Cathy Hughes and The Quiet Storm: Healing on the Airwaves
“Good evening, sweetheart…”Those few words, whispered through radios across America, weren’t just an introduction—they were an invitation. An invita [...]
Tammi Terrell’s Story Reminds Us That Survival Is More Than Staying Alive
When people speak about Tammi Terrell, they often begin with how young she was when she died.
Twenty-four.
They talk about the brain tumor. The inte [...]
🌿 Reclaiming: Cleaning the Skin Is Caring for the Self
I recently heard a male podcaster proudly say he “doesn’t touch his feet,” as if neglecting parts of his own body was something to brag about.He is [...]
Affirmation: I will not call suffering sacred merely because someone taught women to endure it quietly.
Why Does He Get Angry When You’re Happy? When Your Joy Becomes a Problem in a Controlling Relationship
Inspired by.......
Why women’s laughter has long been treated as a threat | Psyche Ideas
Posted by Amy Diehl, Ph.D on X.com
Th [...]
10 Lessons for Survivors from Sandy “Pepa” Denton’s Let’s Talk About Pep
Sandy “Pepa” Denton is known to millions as one of the women who helped change hip-hop. But Let’s Talk About Pep tells another story underneath the re [...]
Survivor Affirmation: For Opal Lee, Who Walked Until the Nation Had to Remember
Some people wait for permission.
Opal Lee did something older, wiser, and stronger. She walked.
She walked with history in her bones a [...]
9 Quotes from Maya Angelou to Nourish the Survivor’s Soul (Part 1)
Updated for 2025
🌿 For the Survivor’s Journey
1. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
2. “You alone are eno [...]
SurvivorAffirmations: You Do Not Have to Become a Tragedy Before We See You
Sometimes a woman does not need another person telling her to be strong.
She has been strong all morning.
She got somebody dressed. Found the missin [...]
Võ Thị Sáu: 🌿She Was Young. And Still… She Stood.
“I was never too young to see clearly—and I honor the strength that rose in me anyway.”
Võ Thị Sáu was a girl.
Not grown.Not protected.Not given tim [...]
Affirmation: I am not here to make domination look like harmony.
Denise Ho: 🌿Once You See It, You Can’t Go Back
“The greatest gift in this life is always more of me—and I am not going back to less.”
Denise Ho was a singer.
A successful one.
She had:
[...]
Hidden Black Film Herstory: Stompin at the Savoy | Directed by Debbie Allen
Sometimes Black women’s films are praised for being “nice,” “nostalgic,” or “beloved,” while the craft gets undercounted. Stompin’ at the Savoy was no [...]
Amel Larrieux: A Soft Voice, a Soulful Spirit, and the Strength to Be Yourself
Some singers have voices that shake the room. Others have soul-filled voices that make you lean in a little closer. Amel Larrieux belongs to that seco [...]
The 80’s Was a Great Decade| A Black Perspective
She's right. It was pretty amazing. It was HARD. But that just meant you worked harder to bring in the joy. And we definitely did that.
Gratitude a [...]
Affirmation: I can have compassion without surrendering discernment.
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