The Colored Girl

This reading was very interesting and relates greatly to how colored women are treated today. In the reading, it talks about how the color girl just wants respect. It goes on to talk about how the black man degrades his own race of women. In society, today, that is still going on. Black men continue to down grade black women for what they do. Black women are often referred to as “bitches” and “hoes”, and many men seem to think that is alright. “But yet, as meanly as she is thought of; hindered as she is in all directions, she is always doing something of merit and credit that is not expected of her. She is irrepressible. She is insulted, but she holds up her head; she is scorned, but she proudly demands respect.” This statement holds true to a lot of things in society today. Black women are constantly talked about through articles, media, books, magazines, and etc., but yet they still hold their heads up high. I remember once incident where the hip hops star Nelly had been attacked by several women because of his video “TIP DRILL”. The ongoing controversy came from the fact that Nelly had women with bathing suits dancing and in one part of the video; he takes a credit card and swipes it down the girls behind. Nelly argued that the girl was the one that told him to do it. If that is so much true then it just goes to show how far we have really come. The colored girl longs for respect, but cannot seem to get it. For example, in Dream Girls, Jennifer Hudson portrayed a strong black woman who refused to be used by anybody. She demanded respect and she eventually earned it. We need more women like that who will stand up to these black men and say that they will take no more of their selfish ways. “At this hour when a thousand social ills beset her, she is taking hold of life in a serious and helpful spirit. It is becoming more and more evident that she is not afraid of the age in which she lives nor its problems. She is a daughter of misfortune but she contributes her full share to the joys of the life about her. She is the very heart of the race problem. She is beginning to realize that the very character of our social fabric depends upon the quality of her womanliness.” This is saying that now women are taking a stand. Instead of sitting back and waiting, they are pushing forward. In today’s society, black women are preachers, evangelist, teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, mother and father at times, and etc. Black women leading their own race, but receive little or no recognition for it. The thing is that they do not do anything for attention; they do it because they are kind hearted and loving. They just want a little respect to go along with the heavy load that they are carrying and the things that they have to deal with. White men stand up for their white women, but black men degrade their black women. It is time for black men to start appreciating the black women and give them the respect that they need and dese