Can I Really be for Black Girls and Not Take Care of Myself?
In 2012 my homegirl and scholar Jessica Robinson asked “Can We Be For Black Girls and Against Their Sexuality?” ( Read Robinson’s article in Wish to Live: The Hip Hop Feminism Pedagogy Reader. Purchase here ) I recently thought of this question, but now I am wondering, can I be for Black Girls and not take care of myself? Like so many others, I started the new year pledging to do all the responsible adult things: save money, pay down consumer debt, write all the things, and lose weight. Many of these things appear on my resolution/manifestation list every year. But, THIS YEAR, I told myself I would not break the promises I made to myself. I am mostly good at meeting my goals. For example in 2021-2022 I’m sure purchasing a home and increasing my income by 20-30k was on my resolution/manifestation board and by the end of 2022 all of that came to be. To get an accurate starting point on my health I first needed to establish a primary care physician in my new neighborhoo...