Dear Black Woman From Shawnti Refuge

Dear Black Woman,

I see you. I see the weight you carry, the way you move through this world with grace even when your spirit is tired. I see the love you pour into everybody else, the way you show up, the way you hold things together when they feel like they’re falling apart. I see the way you laugh even when your heart is heavy, how you push through when you barely have the strength.

But sis, I need you to know something—you deserve more than just survival. You deserve softness. You deserve joy. You deserve to take up space without apology.

I know the world hasn’t always been kind to you. I know you’ve been told to be strong so many times that you’ve forgotten what it feels like to just be. I know there have been moments when you wanted to lay your burdens down but didn’t because, well, who else would carry them? But let me remind you: You are not meant to do it all alone. Strength is beautiful, but so is rest. So is vulnerability. So is asking for help and letting people love you the way you love them.

Your magic is not in how much you endure—it’s in your presence, your power, your ability to rise even when life tries to hold you down. You are a force, not because you have to be, but because you are.

So, this is your permission slip to breathe. To put yourself first. To set boundaries without guilt. To step into every room knowing you belong. To love yourself so deeply that it drowns out every lie the world has ever told you about who you should be.

You are enough. You always have been. And nothing—nothing—will ever change that.

With love,

Shawnti Refuge

A Black Woman Who Sees You