Extraordinary sisters

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

For the past 13 years, I’ve worked almost exclusively for Black women and their families which means I spend my time working for our entire community, including male spouses, brothers, fathers, sons, nephews, cousins. I know many Black women who do just as much as I do or more. We’re not always the first to be mentioned as worthy of honor during Black History Month. More often than not, Black men come to be rightly celebrated for their achievements—but what about Black women? We then come to Women’s History Month and often hope for recognition of more of our sisters, but the first generally mentioned are white women. We endure that without bitterness, and we continue serving our causes as Black people and as women. It’s often left up to sisters to celebrate sisters (Black women, I mean).

A white male friend often says, “If you want to get a job done, give it to a woman; if you really want to get it done and done well, give it to a Black woman.” Most Black women believe as Dr. George W. Carver did when he said, “It’s not the kind of clothing we wear, nor the kind of car we drive, nor how much money we have in the bank. It is simply our service that measures our success.” By that formula, Black women deserve celebration not just in March, but every day! I, therefore, never fail to mention some Black woman in every public speech I make. Dr. Dorothy Irene Height is one example. She said, “Black women don’t always get to do what we want to do, but we always do what we have to do.”

One of my favorite all time women begins with my mother, Mrs. Frances Lacour Williams-Johnson. She is nearly 96 years old now, still advising her children and grandchildren. She reared nine children without the benefit of our father being in our home at the time all of us were under 12 years old. Yet, I never remember being hungry, without proper clothing or school gear, without getting to school every day—rain, shine, sleet or snow or without knowing that we were all loved. My mother is my most extraordinary sister!

From her, I learned to respect and appreciate other Black women. Many of my sheroes were neighbors, teachers, aunts, and my own sisters by birth. These women were ordinary women who did extraordinary things.

Yes, there were, and still are, others from history that I cherish. Sojourner Truth worked not only for our rights as Black people, but for the rights of all women. There is Harriet Tubman who loved her people so much that she forced some into freedom. Ida B. Wells-Barnett protected our brothers from lynching at great danger to herself.

Look around you and celebrate a Black woman this month and every month hereafter. Black women are amazing!

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq., National President of the National Congress of Black Women, www.nationalcongressbw.org. (202) 678-6788.

This article originally published in the March 26, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.