BEVERLY BOND – Founder Black Girls Rock, Author, DJ, Artist, Cultural Curator, Television Producer, and Philanthropist.
As black girls, we are endowed with a magical birthright that courses through our veins. Black Girl Magic is a power and energy rooted in Black ancestral traditions, spirituality, and sacred feminine wisdom. It is the fire in our spirit, the life force in our “womb-dom,” and the elixir in our holy water. You hear it in the cadence of our speech. You feel it in the weight and woefulness of our blues, but also in the encompassing protection of our love. Our astute discernment and our intuitiveness is also part of the magic. It is a grandmother’s conjuring. It is the church lady “catching the spirit.” It is an auntie’s gift of sight that enables her to accurately foresee a loved one’s pregnancy, just because she dreamed of fish.
Our astute discernment and our intuitiveness is also part of the magic. It is a grandmother’s conjuring. It is the church lady “catching the spirit.” It is an auntie’s gift of sight that enables her to accurately foresee a loved one’s pregnancy, just because she dreamed of fish.
Our magic exists in our leadership, in our ability to make a way out of no way, to stand firm and deliver, and to speak truth to power. It lives in our collective journey and can be attributed, in part, to our shared resistance, our survival, and our remarkable resilience It guides us towards self-actualization and a deeper understanding of our place in the world, as well as our role in shaping its future.
As I have grown and learned, I have come to realize that the magic of being a black girl extends beyond the confines of my own experiences. It is a collective energy, a force that unites and empowers us as a community. It is a testament to the unbreakable spirit of our foremothers and the bonds of sisterhood that connect us. Black Girl Magic is convening, a summoning, a rallying cry to ignite in us what had been suppressed, dismissed, or forgotten. It came as a reminder to ourselves of who we are and a reminder to the world of the spectrum of splendor that Black women possess.
Black Girl Magic is convening, a summoning, a rallying cry to ignite in us what had been suppressed, dismissed, or forgotten. It came as a reminder to ourselves of who we are and a reminder to the world of the spectrum of splendor that Black women possess.
In a world that often seeks to invalidate the experiences of black women, our magic is a form of resistance and defiance. It is a declaration of our value and a refusal to be silenced or erased. It is a celebration of who we are and all that we are capable of achieving. It is a reminder that we are more than the narrow and distorted representations of ourselves that are often presented in mainstream media. We are complex and multifaceted individuals, with a depth and richness that cannot be fully captured or understood. This magic allows us to assert our dignity in the face of adversity and oppression. It is the magic of self-care and self-love, of tending to our own needs and embracing our unique beauty and worth.
In a world that often seeks to invalidate the experiences of black women, our magic is a form of resistance and defiance. It is a declaration of our value and a refusal to be silenced or erased.
Moreover, our magic is tied to the belief that black women are the divinely ordained source of all life, holding the “Eve Gene” and the origins of humanity within us. This truth has always been at the core of my being, guiding my sense of self-worth and purpose.
As we navigate the ups and downs of life, let us hold onto the magic that is uniquely ours. Let us embrace the beauty and power of being a black girl, and let our magic shine bright for all the world to see.
*Part of this article contains an excerpt from the book ‘BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Owning our Magic Rocking our Truth‘
