Hi K.L.! Wonderful article here! I got emotional reading it because although I've never been told NOT to cry, I don't remember seeing it when I was little. Maybe once or twice I've caught a family member cry- like an aunt or cousin, but not more than that.

I remember listening to a YouTuber only a couple of years back, and she revealed that where she came from, vulnerable Black Women were most abused. She had to be hard. Shaved her head and everything while carrying around a weapon. It saved her life actually. Black women definitely come form a world where "toughness" can be socialized silently or loudly right in front of us.