See Black Womxn is a Black feminist movement intended to center and advocate for Black Women. In the early stages, the project was composed of artists, activists, scholars, curators, & writers raised on Black feminist theory with the intent to center and elevate the work of Black women through a multi-generational and transnational lens. See Black Women is a platform for self-representation free from stereotypical tropes of Black Women, countering narratives that undermine the expression of their diversity. SeeBlackWomxn was founded by Tahirah Rasheed and Angela Hennessy in 2019.
See Black Women.
The visibility of Black Women has historically been dictated by the colonial gaze. This legacy has produced stereotypes and caricatures of Black women’s bodies that undermine our self-representation. We have the right to be fully seen on our own terms, in all of our complexity.
Hear Black Women.
We are speaking. We are telling our own stories. Black Women have been the primary organizers, supporters, and participants in the movements for change and equality in this country — and yet our voices are rarely heard. Listening to Black Women and centering our voices in the larger conversation on social change would prompt a radical shift in what we imagine as politically possible and necessary. We want to be at the center of crafting the agenda.
Trust Black Women.
Our experiences pivot at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression — at the crossroads of race, gender, sexuality, and class. When we speak of injustice it is because we have lived it. When we speak of joy, it is because we know it. Our forms of knowledge are valid, rigorous, and legitimate and deserve to be taken seriously.
Love Black Women.
We are valuable, sovereign, beautiful, and sacred. We are committed to cultivating culture in ways that recognize and affirm the beauty, diversity, and complexity of Black Women and our aesthetic traditions.
Protect Black Women.
Our bodies are sacred. The violations perpetrated against us are unacceptable. We are worthy of care and protection from physical, social, emotional, and state violence. We deserve to be protected so we can thrive — in our homes, communities, in public spaces, and in the institutions where we work.
Pay Black Women.