A Phenomenal Woman - Sajwa Prather | Freshman at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

The third Phenomenal Woman of this special Howard University trio is the beautiful, Sajwa Prather.  I refuse to even provide a teaser with this post.  All that I will say is that- as I read her submission- my eyes welled with tears.  They were not tears of sadness; they were tears of joy because of the strength of this young lady that was personified throughout her story.

JUST. READ. 

“All of my life I was constantly surrounded by hardworking and humble women. I grew up watching my mother, a Moroccan immigrant, work tirelessly everyday to put me through private school as well as helping to support her family back in Morocco. Additionally, I was heavily influenced by my grandmother, who was a humble woman who strived to give back to the community. These two women have definitely shaped who I am today.

Throughout my childhood I had a great support system however, it seemed as though the older I became, the more others around me began to treat me differently. As a child I attended a private Islamic School that consisted mostly of South Asian students and very few Black students. It was really tough to grow up around a crowd of kids who were not like me. The majority of them were wealthy and lived in big houses in suburban parts of Maryland. Yet, here I was, the black girl that lived in Washington, D.C. to a humble, low income family.

I never really thought anything of it until, little girls would inquire about having playdates yet their parents would tell me ‘no’ because I lived in DC. It used to make me so mad and I began to despise living in DC. I constantly asked my parents why we couldn’t live in a big house in Maryland like everyone else. Sadly, this was just the beginning of what was going to turn into even more self hatred. As I grew up, children were meaner and the things they would begin to say really affected me.

Girls in my class would make fun of my curly hair that I was once so proud to show off in my braids that my mom would do every Sunday. However, I was only surrounded by girls with straight hair. As a result I began to hate my hair because I thought it was ugly. Unfortunately, this led to me to start relaxing my hair and feeding into this cycle of hate. I was lost. I had lost my beautiful identity. I hated every aspect that I was always taught to love.

Even through all of this, here I am years later. A woman that has finally learned to love myself. I am thriving student at Howard University, the mecca of all black excellence. I finally know that I have to be proud of myself and proud of my blackness. I am destined for greatness and am so excited for what God has in store for me.”

Sajwa, you're so right- you ARE destined for greatness!  I'm so glad that you are now proud of who you are and have come to that realization as you continue to reach for your goals and dreams.  Please don't ever lose that joy.  Be sure that you share that gift with other young ladies that haven't yet reached that realization.  We need more Sistas supporting and uplifting one another.  Go 'head, PHENOMENAL WOMAN. ;-)