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Personal Narrative: I Am A Black Woman

665 Words3 Pages

Maya Angelou once said, “Your ancestors took the lash, the branding iron, humiliations and oppression because one day they believed you would come along to flesh out the dream.” I am a black woman who isn’t tragically cursed by the color of my skin but privileged to to understand the trials of my ancestors. Within the works of Lorraine Hansberry, Zora Hurston, and Alice Walker, I have learned that as a black woman I must never let my creative mind go to waste because of the great oppression my ancestors have faced. Coming to Spelman has made me go through many challenges and has helped me to think outside of the box. With just reading the works of these creative black women and going in depth of these works has taught me lessons of how to appreciate my ancestry, to continue the dream, and never be afraid to take that jump with the knowledge that I am given. Attending a high school that had predominantly black students but was an institution ran by white instructors, it was never essential to learn …show more content…

One of the biggest struggles with today’s generation is self-identity, realizing who you are and the skin your are. I have been placed around people who feel as if being black is a curse. There is this concept that being black means that you are not privileged in any way. We keep the idea of us being oppressed so long that we never advance our minds to recognize that everyone, including ourselves are different and unique in our own way. “BUT I AM NOT tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all (Zora Hurston).” Zora Hurston states that when she is constantly reminded by people that her grandparents were slaves, she does not let that oppress her. I have learned that even though I am a black women I still have so much to offer to the world. I am me and my skin color should not define me as a

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