Invisible Black Women

Salaam,

B told me that he was going to start reading The Root again, a blog that takes current events and writes them from a black perspective. In the spirit of my clinging fast to other blog sites, like AltMuslimah, I decided to take a look at The Root and see what it had to offer.

One thing was this article: Single Minded: On Being the Invisible Black Woman

And it's all like, hmm, tell me about it!

As a black woman with no apparent religion, honestly, I didn't notice it and it didn't bother me. I hunger not for fame, recognition or belonging. I'm visible enough to gain admission to the "best" medical school in the country and insha'Allah I'll be visible enough to be a good physician that is respected by my patients. That's cool.

But as a black Muslimah...invisible. As just a black woman, if I was socially invisible, I didn't care because the people who I did care about could see me. As a Muslim woman who once hungered for belonging in her community...I cared a lot more.

Now that I'm not desperate to be accepted by the community...I care less. Don't get me wrong...I love it when I go somewhere and say, "I'm Muslim," and that's taken for face-value without me having to tell the abbreviated version of my life's story, and I still hunger for a day when that's the reality in our community, but...let's just say I'm not holding my breath anymore.

And to be fair, it's not usual to have a Muslim Chinyere, or a Muslim Igbo, or a Muslim black person, but especially in certain venues and at certain points of meeting people, I tire of telling the story of how I came to be and would rather wait to relate that story when I know people better.

But yeah. Invisible in society? Yes, please! ...well, invisible until we cause a stink or do something incredible that cannot be ignored.

But, all in all, it's fine. I like relative anonymity. Viva invisibilidade!

Hehehe.