by Brenda's ChildI don’t think I was older than 10
when my dreams of being a ballerina
were diminished.
“Black girls can’t be ballerinas.”
“You have to be skinny.”
“Your legs are too short.”
I believed them,
so I hung up my toe shoes.
I wish I knew then,
what I know now.
Black girls can be anything we please:
Pretty, cute, beautiful.
Sassy, sweet, intellectual.
Loud, funny, and boisterous.
Strong, smooth, round, or rough.
Black girls can aspire to
whatever we dream.
We can be pilots, engineers, and athletes,
surgeons, politicians, mommies,
chefs and beauticians.
We can be prissy and prim
or a bit tomboyish.
AND
We can be ballerinas, too,
if we don’t allow society
to extinguish our spirits,
if we continue to uplift each other,
we can soar.
Photo: Shutterstock
Brenda's Child is the self-proclaimed diva on a mission to inspire and save lives. Born Latoya Bosworth, she dubbed herself Brenda's Child at the age of 21, in honor of her late mother Brenda Kay Swinton. Brenda's Child continuously spreads her message of H.E.R.S.—health, empowerment, resiliency, and self-worth—through workshops, as a keynote speaker, in print, and on stage.
