Summer is ours

A typeset quote from Mahogany contributing writer Faitth Brooks that reads,

As a Black woman, I sometimes feel like society wants us to be forlorn and sad, as if we aren’t deserving of letting our hair down, dancing in the rain, singing a song loudly and losing our voices because we’ve laughed and cried for so long. It feels as if we’re expected to be built for hardship, as if joy was never meant to be ours and we’re supposed to accept that, be happy with that, be okay with that, be okay with suffering constantly and never being able to come up for air.

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Our ancestors gave us one of the most precious gifts:  

The beauty of life.

They survived so we could thrive. Being able to think for ourselves, they gave us agency and mental freedom—because the further away we got from being enslaved, the more our minds were able to break away from that bondage, from that trauma. Now, we are not bound by what we’re told we can be and can do. We can embrace our life and walk around freely, be happy and have joy—Black girl joy. Real liberation, real radical self-love and empowerment.

Black women deserve to be out in the summertime.  

Vibing, going to our brunch dates, dancing on a yacht, playing in the sprinklers with our kids, going to see musicals and plays, trying fancy restaurants and living a luxurious, beautiful and wonderful life full of the extraordinary, the simple and the mundane. We can cherish caring for our children, getting to raise them the way we want to, though our ancestors spent more time raising children other than their own.

The joy and freedom of caring for and tending to the garden of our life is a gift we should never wish away. We get to relish ​this gift​. ​S​ummer is ours. The love, the adventure and the joy ​should​ be experienced without guilt or reservation.

It's summertime​—let’s​ talk about ​love.  

Let’s pull out the romance books to read on the beach. And let’s not forget about​ platonic love, which is crucial to our well-being. The unconditional love of a family member, or the steady friendship that has stood the test of time. Being loved, whether romantically or even platonically, is beautiful and something worth celebrating.

The warmer weather also seems to represent the ways we open our hearts and hands. With winter behind us, we can open the windows and welcome the season fully. ​We must get out of the house and find ourselves outside​—​living, breathing, loving, laughing, exploring, dancing​ and exuding the very joy that generations tried to stifle.

So​,​ we put our feet in the water ​and ​feel ​the waves​ wash over us. We tilt our heads back and we laugh. We feel dribble​s​ of sweat drip down our necks as we dance on that boat while the wind blows through our hair. We get dressed up, go to that winery and try a flight of new wines​. W​e live our best life.

Sis, what are you doing this summer? I hope you’re living your best life outside!

Faitth Brooks is a social worker, speaker, writer and podcaster. Formed in the Christian tradition and Black liberation theology, Faitth uses her platform to enliven her following for collective liberation centering on the sisterhood of black women. Faitth is crafting communal space where rest, tenderness and softness are commonplace for Black sisters to explore.