This didn't start out as a project on love, at least not a project about finding love/being in love/making love with someone other than yourself. It was about black women. About healing the hurts that have been done and get redone to black women during our existence in this country. By racistsexistclassistheterosexist society. By the church, which is supposed to be a place for healing but has far too often also been racistsexistclassistheterosexist. By people who looked like us and who were supposed to love us, who said that they did in fact love us but were so scar(r)ed themselves that they didn't know how.
But the further I went into the mission of healing the sisters, the more I was drawn into the pain of the brothers. Because she can't love herself for the same reason that he can't love himself and he can't love her and she can only offer him a broken...wounded...battered love. Because the greatest commandment is love: love God love your neighbor love yourself. And if she/he can't love her/him, how can she/he love him/her and how can they love God?
And so this is a project about love. And about faith. And about the folk. About faithfully and joyously loving the folk in a world bent on making it impossible.
About Me
- Chanequa Walker-Barnes
- Atlanta, GA, United States
- Chanequa is the author of "Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength." She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Miami and an M.Div. from Duke University. She is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University.
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1 comment:
Why do you think that your blog has received only minimal comments (only two that I've noticed, responding to your Tylery Perry posting)? (I'm an African-American woman who is doing a little informal research on African American women's Internet usage.)
Do you believe that there is an actual (concerned) audience for this blog? Simply stated, I'm curious about your reaction to the lack of postings on such an interesting blog concerning African-American women.
I am interested in learning more about what types of blogs African-American women respond to, especially those who view themselves as needing a culturally-friendly outlet in which to express themselves. What are your thoughts?
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