Shades of Strong
The Blog
Thoughtful reflections and cultural conversations
about support, strength, and being a Black woman.
FROM THE PORCH
Some Conversations Need More Room.
When a conversation needs more than a social post, it usually ends up here. This is a blog for Black women who want more room for thoughtful conversations about support, strength, relationships, family, culture, and everyday life.
At Shades of Strong, the porch is where the longer conversations happen. It’s the place we come back to when something deserves more time, more questions, or a closer look at what Black women are actually experiencing. The podcast, emails, and this blog each bring those porch conversations to you in a different way.
Here, I write about support, strength, relationships, family, culture, and the expectations that shape our everyday lives. Some pieces are personal. Some are cultural commentary. Some begin with something I saw, heard, or noticed and wanted to look at more closely.
You don’t have to read in any particular order. Start with whatever sounds like a conversation you want to have.
LATEST MUSINGS
Read the Latest From the Porch.
When Being Needed Starts Costing Black Women Themselves
There’s a certain kind of pressure that settles over a Black woman’s life when everybody starts seeing her as the one who can handle everything. The one people call first.The one who figures things out.The one who keeps showing up no matter how much is already on...
What Happens When Black Women Are Taught to Stay
I’m always reflecting on how many Black women have been taught to confuse endurance with strength. And because of that, a lot of us end up staying in things long after peace has already left. We stay in relationships, roles, and routines. We stay in environments...
The Problem With Always Being Seen as Strong
One of the stories that stayed with me from the 26 Black Women storytelling series came from a woman describing what it felt like to sit in a doctor’s office during cancer treatment and hear the word “delay” again. Another delay.Another complication.Another moment...
When “Strong” Starts Costing Black Women Too Much
One of the stories that stayed with me most from the 26 Black Women storytelling series came from a Black woman describing what it felt like to realize her body had been warning her for a long time… and she never really stopped long enough to listen. At the time,...
Fuck Precedent: Rewriting the Rules Black Women Never Agreed To
So much of breaking generational precedent for Black women starts with noticing the moments when our choices were shaped long before we could speak. There are moments in my life when I look back and realize I wasn’t making decisions, I was following a...
Real Support for Black Women Starts with Knowing What You Need
For years, Black women have been saying we need more support. I don’t disagree. But the conversation often stops there, as though support is a single thing and receiving more of it will automatically make us feel supported. It will not. A person can love you,...
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