By TeKisha Rice
Beside every successful black women, is another black woman encouraging her. In the words of TLC, “What about your friends?“
Women are often pitted against one another, especially in spaces occupied by multiple Black women. For example, people might take sides in the Nicki and Cardi B beef, but let me tell you something, I WANT NO PARTS. I want to see these women peacefully and collaboratively occupy this space and take us to a new level. Friendship. It’s a powerful thing. Black women have a unique way of standing next to each other and pushing one another to new heights when we engage in genuine friendship. Think about it. When my female friends posts pictures of their most recent adventures or accomplishments on social media I am eager to be the first one to amp them up.
“YASSSSSSSSS”
“New person, who dis!?”
And my personal favorite, heart-eye emojis for days!
How much more could we accomplish if we banded together to seek genuine friendship? When I think of my friends they all serve unique roles. Some remind me of my humble beginnings while others remind me of my limitless future. What they all have in common is that they inspire me daily: to work harder and to have fun, to be more understanding and more firm, to be intentional yet spontaneous; to never stop growing. You know what I think one of the most important characteristics of a friend is? They call you out! They see the incongruence between who you want to be and who you are so they can lovingly but firmly tell you when you are out of line and need to get it together. These are the friendships that push us to new levels…that help us become a version of ourselves that we may not have known was attainable.
The older I get, the more grateful I am for the women’s lives that have intersected with mine. Their integrity and genuineness penetrates my spirit and expands my understanding of who I am. Being in genuine friendship with other Black women helps you stand taller and occupy space with confidence. Maya Angelou said it best. “I come as one, I stand as ten thousand.” So even when only one black woman is visible, make room, cause there’s more where that came from.
TeKisha Rice is a Contributing Writer for the Pedestal Projejct, LLC. TeKisha is an Alabama native and current PhD student at UIUC, Her life centers on Christ, family, friends, food, and her dog JoJo.
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