Empowering Black Women: Returning to What’s Already Ours

Takia Thompson
May 19
3 min read

Updated: May 22

Empowerment is Not a Buzzword: It’s a Birthright

For Black women, empowerment isn’t something we need to hustle for — it’s something we’re returning to.

Empowerment isn’t a marketing slogan. For Black women, it’s a remembering. A return. A reclaiming of what’s always been ours but often denied — joy, safety, self-trust, and the right to thrive.

We carry the wisdom of generations — women who prayed us into being, who survived systems designed to break them, and who made miracles from scraps. So when we talk about empowerment here, we’re not talking about becoming someone new. We’re talking about returning to who we’ve always been — with support, with spaciousness, and with sacred tools.

This post is for Black women ready to walk in their full power — not because we need to “level up,” but because we deserve rest, liberation, and lives that feel like home.

Reclaiming Power in a World That Tries to Diminish It

Black women face layered harm — from the intersections of racism, misogyny, classism, and more. But we are not defined by that harm.

Our empowerment starts within — when we trust our knowing, when we honor our boundaries, when we ask for help, when we refuse to shrink. It also grows in community. We do not have to do this alone. In fact, we were never meant to.

Let’s name what’s needed and reclaim what’s ours.

Five Anchors for Personal Power

Here are five soul-rooted ways to nourish your own growth — not for productivity, but for your wholeness:

Self-Awareness
- Your intuition is not a luxury — it’s a compass. Journaling, stillness, or ancestral practices can help you return to your inner truth.
Clarity with Compassion
- Set intentions, not just goals. Ask: What feels good in my body? What am I creating space for? Then build from there.
Lifelong Learning
- Whether it’s through books, workshops, or storytelling, let your learning be expansive and liberating — not extractive.
Emotional Sovereignty
- Learn to name what you feel, tend to what you need, and let that emotional literacy be your armor and your balm.
Resilience with Rest
- Resilience isn’t just pushing through. It’s learning when to pause, when to breathe, and when to call in your people.

Mental Health Is Empowerment

Let’s be real: Black women are often the backbone of everything — family, community, movements. And that often comes at the cost of our health. Enough of that.

Therapy is sacred. Whether it’s with a culturally aligned therapist or an elder you trust, find your space to unpack and heal.
Mindfulness is resistance. Meditation, walking in nature, ancestral altar work — these are all practices of restoration.
Your body matters. Nourish it, listen to it, and let movement be a return to joy — not a punishment.
Support is power. You don’t need to be strong alone. Find your people. Let them love on you.

Rooted in Community, Rising Together

Empowerment is collective. Here’s how we keep each other held:

Sacred Circles: Join or start healing circles where honesty, grief, joy, and laughter are welcome.
Skill-Sharing: Barter wisdom. Trade gifts. Uplift each other’s businesses.
Mentorship Across Generations: Wisdom flows in every direction — from elders to youth and back again.
Book Clubs & Brunches: Build sisterhood in the everyday. These moments are sacred, too.

Tools That Serve Us

There are real tools that help Black women grow — not just survive, but flourish:

Scholarships and grants for Black women-owned businesses
Online platforms centering our voices (like Therapy for Black Girls, Sista Afya, Ethel’s Club, and the Therapy Club Foundation)
Coaching that centers joy, ancestry, and intuition — not hustle culture
Books by Black women authors who tell our truth
Playlists and podcasts that make you feel seen while you clean, cry, or cook

You Are the Legacy — and the Liberation

Empowerment isn’t something to chase. It’s something to live — breath by breath, choice by choice.

You are someone’s answered prayer. Someone’s ancestor in the making. Someone whose power is not up for debate.

So take up space. Ask for softness. Choose joy. And when it’s hard, know that you’re not alone — we’re building this new world together.