It's Queen Adebisi!

It hasn’t been a month since this new regime. A devilish spirit has been unleashed. Freedom to hate is the new mantra. People who are different seem to be the target—precisely, women of color and those who love. We are seen as the problem. But we are not. We are the strength that holds our communities together. We put in the work. We did more than that. We did more. We pushed ourselves relentlessly. We pushed each other. We showed up at each other’s graduations, and while the congratulations were barely out of our throats, we reminded each other not to rest- there is more land to possess. If we rest, some man or woman with less qualifications than us will find us and accuse us of being lazy and undeserving of the positions we fought so hard to deserve. So, we continue to run. No time to rest. Can’t let them catch you. We run like our ancestors ran through the night to freedom... Even though we were born free, right?

I realize that I digested a lie. I honestly believed that I could work my way to equality, so here I am, four degrees and 22 years of experience later, and I’m still explaining myself.

Since the “new regime,” I have been the subject of a few of my peer’s conversations. Conversations such as, “She doesn’t do her job” have surfaced- I was seen walking the hallways of my place of work---ON MY LUNCH BREAK. As a black woman, I am not allowed to be “lazy” even on my lunch break. The pressure to perform and be continuously productive is relentless. I am exhausted. I am indifferent!

It stops here. I am Minding my own productive business! This is a season in which I am breaking the bondage of restlessness! I take full responsibility and repent for living less than my authentic self. In my Rick James voice, I shout, “I am Queen Adebisi, Bish!”

Black Women, it won’t be easy to mind our own business. Our growth depends on our ability to free ourselves and walk in our Queendom! We are queens from never being mere princesses, and it’s time we reclaim our royalty. We were taught a lie: we would receive equality if we worked hard enough. But equality is not our portion. We are royalty, made for the better. Therefore, I am no longer concerned with the opinions of lesser people. My mental health, chemical makeup, and very being will not allow it. I love that my body is created to say, ‘NO!’ when something that does not align with my purpose is blocking my path. I am thankful for this season of life. Through this tribulation, I have found clarity. I am Queen Adebisi. I will walk in my royalty. I hear the whispers. I will continue to be unbothered by small people who choose not to respect the royalty my Creator breathed into my nostrils at my conception.

Queens, we need each other more than ever. This season, we will communicate in our own unique code- through our eyes, tongue smack, tilted heads, and pursed lips. We will dress boldly. Our lips will be stained with anything we want, but always moisturized! Our skin will sparkle. We will take up space amid oppression. We are Black History. Our very existence screams diversity & culture louder than the paper Black History Month displays we were wrongfully forced to take down. We will look them in the eyes but say nothing. We will not react. We will draw strength from each other. We will read about our ancestors. Travel to West Africa to sink our toes on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean where our ancestors were born. We will recharge our radiance on the shores of our true home- The entire continent of Africa! America is ours, too, paid for with the blood of our ancestors! We will let them have their moment. We will grow stronger in silence. We will stop code-switching and speak the language that only we understand. We will stop explaining our culture to those who are only entertained by us. We are West African royalty. We will learn from our elders how to walk, talk, and live in our Queendom!

This season, I will be silent. I will see. I will not respond. I will learn. I will breathe. I will grow. I will re-connect myself to nature! I will prioritize my well-being and radiate. I have already won.

Love,

Queen Adebisi