Black Girl Glare: Uplifting and edifying your sister

Author Information

Dr. Rebecca A. George, Webster University Columbia Metro CampusFollow
Dr. Alexanderia T. Smith, Webster University Columbia CampusFollow

Conference Strand

Identity Formation

Abstract

The purpose of this proposal is to use original spoken word poetry to illustrate the challenges black women face with social support. The poetry will highlight the unspoken black girl "glare" that many women project onto each other largely due to internalized oppression and racism. The psychosocial manifestation of this internalization is low self-esteem, lack of awareness, and general insecurities. The presenters will use elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to assist participants with developing cognitive awareness, increasing their knowledge and skills to edify themselves and their sisters.

Description

This presentation will delve into black women's psychosocial and emotional response to racism through poetry. Specifically, the “how”, “why” and “when” black women project internalized oppression onto each other.

Participants Objectives:

1. will be able to define and understand key terms used to conceptualize the black girl glare

2. will be able to reflect on thoughts, emotions, and actions when receiving or projecting the "glare"

3.will be able to acknowledge moments of insecurities that manifest into the glare

4. will increase awareness of personal glare triggers

Evidence

In a speech given on May 5, 1962 at the funeral service of Ronald Stokes in Los Angeles, Malcolm X said that “the most hated person in American is the black man, however the most unsupported person is the black woman.”(Genuis Media, 2018). This is still true today. The black woman has supported everyone else through their struggles but no one is there for the black woman. The black woman has shown love, support, and been on the front lines through enslavement, civil rights, Jim Crow, and in modern times, through police shootings.

The trope of the superwoman has hit black women especially hard as it has caused them to be viewed one dimensionally with no avenues to fully express themselves (Woods-Giscombé, 2010). The black woman is not allowed to be vulnerable, tender or feminine. In order to move the presentation forward, we must be able to define and operationalize key terms. One such term is internalized racism. Blakesley (2016), reported that internalized racism occurs when supposedly minority populations begin to accept demeaning, negative, and stereotypical conceptualizations and beliefs about their own racial group, and themselves. Moreover, internalized racism has also been defined as “the process of absorbing consciously or unconsciously the values and beliefs of the oppressor and subscribing to the stereotypes and misinformation about one’s group, sometimes leading to “low self-esteem, self-hate, the disowning of one’s group and other complex behaviors that influence and impair quality of life” (Alleyne, 2004).

The authors contend that the black woman must provide support to one another and that the avenue to begin this process is within the social support network of a positive validating look of understanding in professional and social settings. In fact, Lincoln, Chatters, and Taylor (2003) reported that it is beneficial to have positive interactions and social support to increase well-being and optimal health. Moreover, while communication can be conveyed by verbal and nonverbal methods, the authors believe that the internalized oppression and racism has been manifested with a glare, “the black girl glare.” The purpose of this presentation is to use original spoken word to illustrate the black girl glare with interactive experiential activities to increase awareness for social support networking. We contend that the black woman can in fact look to other black women as support.

References

1. Alleyne, A. (2004). The internal oppressor and black identity wounding. Counseling and Psychotherapy Journal, 15, 48-50.
2. Blakesley, B. M. (2016). African American and Black women processes of learning, unlearning and resisting internalized racism.
3. Lincoln, K. d. Chatters, L. M. and Taylor, R. J. (2003). Psychological Distress among Black and White Americans: Differential Effects of Social Support, Negative Interaction and Personal Control,44(3), 390
4. Woods-Goscombe’, C. L. (2010). Superwoman Schema: African American women’s Views on Stress, Strength, and Health. Qualitative Health Research, 20 (5); 668-683. Sage Publishing.
5. Genuis Media (2018, September 18). Malcolm X speech. Retrived from https://genius.com/Malcolm-x-who-taught-you-to-hate-yourself-annotated

Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Authors Bio

Dr. Rebecca George joined Webster University as an Adjunct Counseling Faculty for the Columbia Metropolitan Campus in 2007. She is currently serving as the Clinical Coordinator for the Counseling program. Rebecca earned a Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the SC State University in 2000 and earned her PhD in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina in 2007. Rebecca is a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, as well as an Approved Clinical Supervisor Counselor. She has also worked as the Director of Family Life Intervention Program at Carolina Children’s Home and taught Special Education in Columbia, South Carolina.

Dr. Alexanderia Smith joined Webster University as the Counseling Program Coordinator for the Columbia Metropolitan Campus in 2009. She became the State Director for the Counseling Programs in South Carolina in 2013. Alexanderia earned a Master of Education Degree in Counseling from the University of Georgia in 2001 and earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina in 2007. Alexanderia is a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a Certified Addictions Counselor. She has also worked as the Director of Crisis Services at Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands in Columbia, South Carolina.

Location

PARB 227

Start Date

2-8-2019 2:30 PM

End Date

2-8-2019 3:45 PM

Recommended Citation

George, Dr. Rebecca A. and Smith, Dr. Alexanderia T., "Black Girl Glare: Uplifting and edifying your sister" (2019). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 12.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2019/2019/12