For Such A Time As This
March is Women’s History Month, but maybe it should be renamed Black Women’s History Month! Nothing against anyone else, but the sisters are breaking new ground and creating history right before our very eyes.
What better time than now for the heart and soul of the Black family and community – women – to rise up and claim their rightful positions? Now that we’ve marked the 400 years after slavery, as Apostle H. Daniel Wilson and others have so passionately spoken of, could it be that sisters have come into prominence for such a time as this? Could it be that the last of the 1960s and 1970s babies, those who came into their own in the 1980s and 1990s, and even some breakout millennials, were born, trained, and developed just in time for today? This reminds me of the story of Esther.
Esther was likely seen as the least likely to become queen. She was an orphan, a Jew, and raised by her male cousin, Mordecai, who lived in captivity. Plus, she was just one of many women the king could select as his wife – and second wife at that. It seemed like the odds were stacked against her. But she had a few things on her side. Esther was favored and set apart for the position of queen by the head chamberlain – aka the Bible’s version of Chris Harrison on “The Bachelor” (LOL). Esther was prepared for the role, having been exposed to a full year of special spa treatments, servants, and other things to prepare her for royalty. And most importantly, Esther had a cause that pushed her to conquer her fears.
“And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” Esther 3:13
”Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether hold thy peace, at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14
The very lives of Esther’s people were in her hands. And because she finally faced her fears, she used her position as queen to deliver her people from destruction – just in the nick of time.
eFam, there’s a new generation of Esther’s on the scene! We have modern-day women, who represent their people who were once in captivity, and often raised without fathers in the home, yet overcame the odds to succeed. I’d like to think that these women would agree that their positions of power are not just for them to gloat, but for Black people to soar!
Here are some of our modern-day Esther’s.
· Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States of America.
· Stacey Abrams, Voting Rights Activist, Lawyer, Author.
· U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood, Illinois.
· U.S. Representative Cori Bush, Missouri.
· Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington, D.C.
· Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta, Georgia.
· Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago, Illinois.
· Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, Scientist at forefront of the COVID-19 vaccine.
· Rosalind “Roz” Brewer, Walgreens CEO & only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company.
· Jennifer King, Assistant Running Backs Coach of the NFL’s Washington Football Team.
· Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate, Author, Model.
And the list goes on and on.
These women have been on their grind for years. Yet suddenly, like an overnight sensation, they recently came into the public eye. And not a moment too late or too soon.
We’re at an inflection point in our nation where White supremacy has boiled to the surface. Black people are more “woke” than we’ve been in years. White allies – like abolitionists and Freedom Riders of the past – are looking for ways to help our cause. And in the midst of all of this, the world needs to see that Black excellence is NOT an anomaly. Success is not a one-time fluke for the one or two Blacks who win an Oscar or a Super Bowl ring. We have everyday heroes (and she-roes) every day! So what better way for our people to begin being restored in the public eye than through the historically proven mother of civilization – the Black woman!
Sisters, I encourage you to take the proverbial pen in hand and write your spot in history. Mark the world with your presence. Leave a reminder that you were here! And if you’re not a Black woman, support a Black woman this month. Patronize her business. Take her class. Sow into her dream. It may just be that she’s the next one who’s been planted and positioned, for such a time as this.
Min. Stacy Adams
VKMI eBlogger
One Response
I do agree Black Women have awakened and it is now their time to go forward. They have been prepared , positioned and purpose .
Black Women are living today like queens .
Setting boundaries. and setting standards..