Dear Black Women,

I love you! I wanted to start this letter with that statement because I would not be who I am today without your love and the things you have taught me. My grandmother taught me how to bring joy to the lives of others. My mother taught me leadership and strength. I gained understanding from my aunts, and I learned fearlessness from my sisters. Lastly, I learned what unconditional support looks like because of how much black women contribute to my life and society as a whole.

I was recently asked what I would want to say to my future daughter. I said that I wanted her to know the world revolves around her and never allow anyone to make her feel different. Everything begins and ends with black women. Your existence is both beautiful and necessary.

As a black man, I can never fully gauge the day-to-day struggle that you have to experience. Black women have been fighting a battle that sometimes feels as if it will never end. They are shamed for asking for love, equality, and protection when they unquestionably give it. They are left to feel unseen by those who should appreciate them most, and they have to work harder than we could ever imagine. This letter is not for me to speak for black women. Their voice is much more impactful on its own. I only hope to be of support, to stand by you, and with my actions to one day pay you back for all that you do.

I’m writing this love letter to not only the women that I know but the ones that I’ll never meet. The ones that inadvertently affect my life through the change they enact and the children they raise who will continue to move the world forward. You show me what love truly means. You give me the strength to keep going when I feel I have nothing left. I want you to know that I indeed love you.I love you for everything that you are and everything that you had to overcome. I love you for being my helping hand, my safe space, and I love you for being the example of who I hope to be.

Love,

Joshua Wilson for COSIGN Magazine

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