Imagine living in a world designed for every being except your kind—a world where all forces oppose you. Religion, men, and even your fellow species define your imposed inferiority. I do not have to imagine since I am a black woman, an AFRICAN BLACK WOMAN. It is humiliating that those three words, mere words, could hold great importance in determining how bright the light I am to be regarded in is, if there is light at all. I could radiate a glow more luminous than the sun itself. Still, acknowledged as nothing but a woman, black and African, in the eyes of the ignorant and discriminators. It’s even more embarrassing that my fellow blacks weigh the word African and establish it as someone to be trampled on. Many believe men and women, blacks and whites, fight and suffer the same struggle when we do not.
It was not satisfactory enough for society to invalidate the struggles of black and African women; they also had to undermine the intelligence and competence of women in general. Even recently, a practical example is discrimination against women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). To elaborate, impressive inventions and discoveries made by innovative women are either made by names you are unfamiliar with, told that a man created, or both.
In addition, exceptional African black women such as; Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a Nigerian physician, protected millions of Nigerians from the Ebola Virus epidemic despite pressure from the Liberian government. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian woman who is the first elected female head of state in Africa. Dr. Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan woman who made history by becoming the first woman to obtain a doctorate in central and east Africa. Graça Machel is the first woman to serve as the first lady of two countries; South Africa and Mozambique. She is a global advocate for the rights of women and children, with her outstanding humanitarian work recognized globally by Queen Elizabeth II, who made her an honorary British Dame.
These inspirational women have made sacrifices for the ‘greater good,’ which benefits a world that continually tramples the outstanding efforts of these powerful women to blossom beyond the boundaries constructed by gender discrimination and ultimately eradicate it.
Still, the audacity to claim that women are inferior exists when the fact remains that we are oppressively tamed. As a result of our undeniable excellence, we emerge prosperous and resilient through the oppression we are encouraged to tolerate. If the previously mentioned women were men or white, perhaps not African, you would not need to research them to identify them and their accomplishments. Feminism has been painted as an unflattering image by feeble-minded people blinded by the influenced opinions of educated illiterates, who can not bear our fight for freedom, and I loathe their audacity. I resent the women that promote misogyny and the men who practice it, despise the justification of slavery, and disapprove of our world.
Adopting Martin Luther King’s famous line, “I have a dream.” I have a dream that one day, women and men will be considered equals. I may be building castles in the air with this dream, but it is a dream worth sharing.
Ehidiamhen Divine
Ehidiamhen Divine is a fourteen-year-old that confronts gender discrimination through her writing. Divine ultimately aspires to inspire, motivate, educate and enlighten. She appreciates opportunities to articulate her ideas, thoughts, and opinions to interested readers.
Cosmic Double 