“I’m like, Che Guevara with bling on, I’m complex
I never claimed to have wings on”
-Sean “Jay Z” Carter
by Shanize Byrd
I don’t care how many times I listen to Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement”, the same feeling remains with me. Every time I hear, “allow me to reintroduce myself!” I feel like I’ve been catapulted onto the main stage in an arena and I am telling the world who I be. This song has gotten me through some tough times and amped me up for significant moments. What I love about this song is that it’s dripping with Hova’s confidence, swag and whit. Yet, you get a sense of his humility as well. He’s letting you know that he’s aware that there are levels to him and he’s unapologetic about them. Without them, there will be no him. “Public Service Announcement” really resonates with me in this season. I’m less than two weeks away from the official launch of my first business and I ask myself, “now, how do I introduce myself to the unfamiliar and reintroduce myself to those of the past?”
To be quite frank, I can’t capture all of me or the meaning of this space in one story. In order to understand, you have to follow the journey and participate in the experience. What I can tell you is that I am my own Black woman, who doesn’t have all of the answers. I wasn’t called to the mountaintop and given the formula to crack the code. I am searching for answers to my purpose and meaning of life, like many of you. I do have an appetite for learning, endurance for strength and passion for service. blackbyrd initiative was developed because I needed it and knew other Black women needed it, too. This is a sanctuary, war room, runway, library, museum, dance floor and resting place for Black women. Yes, it is all these things because we deserve everything.
Here is where we live up to the idea that “we are not a monolith”. I struggled for quite some time with the multi components of my identity. I thought there was only one way to be a strong Black woman and parts of me conflicted with that notion. For instance, I thought in order to be considered “strong”, I had to have a very serious and “hard” demeanor. But, I have a sense of humor and I enjoy deep-gut laughs on the regular. I cry when my feelings are hurt, I’m scared of something or grieving over a loss. I assumed that in order to be considered Black that meant I had to wear tribal prints everyday and know every quote by Frederick Douglas. I love a good tribal print and other forms of fashion. Also, I have yet to read the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. I was convinced in order to be considered a woman that meant I had to look appealing to men all the time and measure my worth by their validation. Yet, most days (especially in this pandemic) I don’t look put together and I got tired of always seeking validation.
I am learning that strength is the balance between protecting yourself and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Being Black looks like a spectrum of things. And being a woman does not mean that my existence is dependent on the criteria of men. But I get it, many of us were taught to choose boxes that we barely fit in. Black stereotypes weren’t created by Black people. Those are the chess pieces crafted by the makers of White Supremacy. Giving yourself permission to be your most authentic self is a revolutionary act against our oppressors. So at blackbyrd initiative, we focus on self improvement and leadership development for Black women. We believe that in order to fight against oppression, you must have a sense of ownership over yourself. This space is for celebrations just as much as rally cries.
Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Shanize Byrd (But, I prefer to go by Byrd). I am a Black womanist, storyteller and organizer, who founded blackbyrd initiative with the hope that one day we will live in a world where Black women live independent and holistic lives; free from this society’s oppressive White Supremacy design.
