The Power In Saying No To “Shame” And Yes To “Love”

We’ve been taught to be ashamed of our Blackness. Colonization and slavery created a caste system and stereotypes that equated people’s worth with the color of their skin. 

Generations later we’re still unpacking this shame, and healing from the shame of being shamed. 

Shame stems from the feeling of being negatively judged by a powerful person or system. Long-term shame can cause health problems, social anxiety, fear of rejection, trust issues, and a sense of worthlessness. 

To live in a world where people make assumptions about us based on false stereotypes is more than spiritually draining; it’s scary, too. 

Shame was used as warfare against our ancestors. Generational healing looks like us forgiving our ancestors who internalized lies about the shame of being Black.

Shame is continuously used to erase or oppress entire cultures. Shame works to bury, distort, and destroy ancestral wisdom and ways of being. 

We heal ancestral shame when we radically love our Blackness out loud. Unlearning shame is a form of spiritual healing that takes time. 

A simple daily practice is looking in the mirror and saying, “My Blackness is beautiful. I am proud of this body, mind, and spirit. I come from a sacred ancestral lineage. Shame has no hold over me.”