Short letter to the Black Woman

Dear Beautiful Black Woman, 

I want to start by saying I love you! I know you don’t hear it enough.

I love you, because you can never hear it too much. 

I want to say thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for bringing us out of our dark days into the light. 

Thank you for being more than a child bearer, more than a chef, more than a teacher, more than a maid. 

You are the warmth and the brightness shining through the shade. 

For every time you were ignored, disrespected, and degraded.

Objectified, told to be seen and not heard.

I simply say, I hear you and I see you. 

Your continuous love and compassion despite all attempts to silence you is amazing.

For every tear you’ve cried that wasn’t acknowledged and for every tear to fall, let my words be the fingers to wipe your face, tilt your head up, look you in the eyes, and say “head up love you are dressed in the beauty, strength, and power of the legacies of Queens Nefertiti, Makeda, Cleopatra, and Nandi.” 

You truly are the essence of everything pure.

Water for the thirsty, you are strength for others to endure. 

I know lately it seems you’ve been forgotten and unprotected. In a world that praises disrespect and offers no balance to power to check it.

Never give in to the pressure to fit a mold. You were created to stand out, be bold.

Never give up especially when the warmth of love no longer has its hold.

I’ll always be here, be the torch providing the brightest of lights to infuse your soul.

Queen, is what I call you because that’s what you truly are. I see life in your eyes, I know you personally while others admire from afar. 

I believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself. When you smile, I learn the real meaning of wealth. I see you for you, when the world sees you as everything, but the truth. I call you queen because it so beautifully fits you.

Love, 

Your beloved Black Man

Written by: Abe Lowe IV