What Does it Mean to Be a "Strong black Woman"?

Black women who identify as being a "Strong Black Woman" usually exhibit behaviors connected to The SBW cultural ethic.  These behaviors are often unconscious culturally embedded messages that promotes (and often celebrates) toughness and self-sacrificial behaviors.  These cumulative and generationally learned behaviors can create a negative impact on health and wellness of African American/Black women.  
*See "SBW Test" for key behaviors.

Rich, poor, young, old, formally educated or not, women from any religious background or none, the ethic is often experienced as automatic, unconscious responses to the everyday life events of African American women.  

These behaviors are rooted in African American 
culture where from slavery to the present day, Black women press on, even in the face of often overwhelming health and wellness challenges. 


But there’s a flip/side to "pressing on."

A Research Project of

Charlyn Green Fareed, Ph.D. 

charlyngreenfareed.com