In all my years of being criticized for having a "bad attitude", being "bossy" and "caring"for a large amount of people and not just myself has left a mark on my childhood as a negative complaint. But, after reading this, it has opened my eyes to that of my ancestors and how as black women are really here to "Protect & Serve". I was so compelled to read that just like some of my greatest ancestors being able to cater to someone else's needs instead of your own was something that I no longer have to feel guilty about. I now know that throughout all those years of being punished it was all from those who came before me. The resistance and strong willed ways instilled in me has ran through my families veins for generations. We must learn that as African American females the negative images associated with our race are heartbreaking, but these burdens should only make us stronger and encourage us to breakthrough the norm, negative statistics, and have us succeed!
This literary piece focuses on African American females while bringing an eye opening standpoint about the struggle of women. Richardson opens the novel with the harsh forms of "brutal patriarchy" and the struggle of black females in present day society. The images portrayed and seen in the media that give African American females a degrading name and also making it quite difficult to communicate to others. The "code-switching" topic was very in depth and discussed how the African Americans then (slavery times) and now (present day) have always changed their voices or their forms of communication to help other races understand them better. Under white supremacy the immoral treatment of African American females has only worsened today, you can see it all over music videos, newspaper, TV, practically anywhere you look. Richardson goes on to give a large number of anecdotes and examples to help support her claims. This book was truly eyeopening in the sense that a lot of this information was surprisingly true. For example. young black girls in schools are more outgoing then their European- American peers and are willing to maintain order and structure in the classroom. This I can relate to because being a leader in my classroom was always something I desired to do, I always loved having control and I used my body language/ "silence" to object to things that I didn't seem were right.
As a strong willed, compassionate and intelligent African American female I highly enjoyed this novel. The novel opened my eyes to things I didn't even notice until now. After reading this novel I want to make sure that I keep up the way I have been communicating with others and make it a vow to keep my ancestry alive and continue the legacy of strong and determined African American females. I will not conform to what society wants me to be. I am going to be my own unique self and continue through life one step at a time.
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