The Expectations and Realities of Being a Black Girl in America
A Slam from MLK Assembly 2017
February 27, 2017
Disclaimer: This piece was performed for the MLK Assembly in January 2017. The student who wrote and performed the piece requested that the original language be preserved. In honor of their artistic vision and in recognition of the importance of not censoring student voices, we have preserved all of the language, including the usage of racially sensitive words. We ask you to be respectful of language and of the artists’ vision.
Mecca: Never would I have imagined that being a black girl in America would push me to the bottom of society. After all, somehow having more melanin equates to being of lesser value, and identifying as a woman makes you weak. The media portrays being a black girl as a blessing and a curse.
Ashley: But that’s not true.
Mecca: Not all black girls are born with full lips, curvy hips and a big behind. We all won’t grow up standing in the welfare line.
Mecca: The expectations
Ashley: and realities
Together: of being a black girl in America.
Mecca: Wearing my hair naturally shouldn’t be a problem right? I was born with this hair therefore I am proud to show it off to the world.
Ashley: Think again. “What the hell did you do to your hair?” “I like your hair better when it’s straight.” “Ew why’s your hair so greasy? Do you ever wash it?” “I mean I guess your hair looks alright… but it looks very unprofessional. Try straightening it.”
Mecca: All my life people have complimented me because I speak in an educated manner.
Ashley “Wow you talk so white.”
Mecca: Raising my voice so that my opinion can finally be heard shouldn’t be a problem.
Ashley: “Angry black woman much.”
Mecca: I’m thinking about applying to Stanford.
Ashley: “Maybe you should stick to Howard.”
Mecca: Black women get teased, called ghetto, and ratchet for wearing braids and cornrows, or Bantu knots.
Ashley: “Pretty for a black girl maybe.” But then a white woman comes along appropriating the same hairstyle and they’re seen as edgy or cool. It adds an extra sting when your own race calls your hair nappy (points to hair). Let’s not even mention that fact that when black women wear weaves… they’re bald headed but when white women wear weave no one questions it. Other cultures take our music, fashion, hair styles, dances, vocabulary and change the name to make it theirs. But wait… what is a black card because last time I checked there’s no such thing. No you can’t say nigga it’s not your slur to reclaim and no I don’t care that your black friend gave you a pass to say it or it’s in one of your favorite hip hop songs. Don’t think you’re “woke” or “not racist” just because you have a few black friends.
Mecca: Everybody wants to be black, but no one wants to go through the struggles that a black person has to go through.
Together: Black Lives Matter
Mecca: You’re too quick to assume you can be black just because you listen to trap music, you got your hair braided while on a trip to the Caribbean, you tanned over break, and you’re dating a black boy. And what about all this team light skin and team dark skin? We’re sick of that shit.
Ashley: Black is black and it ain’t whack ‘cause it surely don’t crack. So for all of you young black girls out there you need to look within and realize how beautiful you are with your pretty brown skin.
Ariel Garfield • Jun 1, 2017 at 11:09 am
This is an excellent piece of art that shows the struggles and what it’s really like to be a Black girl in America. Being a balck girl, I can relate to everything being said. I think that the line “Pretty for a black girl maybe.” But then a white woman comes along appropriating the same hairstyle and they’re seen as edgy or cool.” really resonates with me because in society white women are praised for hairstyles that black women created and black women are considered “ugly” or “less than” for doing the same thing
Taylor • Jun 1, 2017 at 11:04 am
This is truly amazing it talks about how society doesn’t let us be ourselves. We always have to conform to someone else’s perception of us and then when we aren’t what they think it’s such a shock which it shouldn’t be because we are people to and everyone’s different.
Mackenzie Schless • Apr 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm
It’s been a few weeks since the assembly, but I still think this piece is wonderful and it was one lf my favorites. This accurately captures the truth of cultural misappropriation and the hypocrisy that being black is bad, but wearing black culture is good.
Delvin • Feb 28, 2017 at 8:51 am
This is great. Very well written and surely expresses many of the struggles of being a black girl in America. I mostly agree with the hair observation. A black woman should be able to go out with her natural hair without shame simply because that is black women’s hair. Society making us think that hair is bad equates to society making us think being black is bad.