It’s no secret. The predominant images of black women blared across the global community are at best demoralizing and shameful. Far too often, all I ever see of the women who like me can be summed up in terms such as “video vixen” or “baby momma” or “welfare opportunist.”

We know the names of Oprah Winfrey, Etta James and Maya Angelou. These are the names forged from the backbone of generations of black women who paved the way with their blood and their sacrifice in hopes that their legacy would breathe hope and the power to persevere in the face of insurmountable circumstances. Yes, we know the names of  Billie Holiday, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai and Mamie Till, who stood toe to toe with the Goliath of their time and defiantly breathed I will not bow, I will not cave and I will not compromise the truth.

Yes, we know the names of these majestic beauties but some how the global reach of their plight–of humanity’s plight–is muffled by an ideology that decrees that we (black women) are all booty-bouncing-morally-depraved-loud-mouthed-uneducated-sexually-deviant-miscreants of society. Five words: the devil is a liar!

And so I share 10 Things I Want to Say to a Black Woman by Joshua Bennett in hopes that it will break through the perpetual lies  that say that you’re not lovable, you’re not beautiful, you’re not good enough and you’re not more than enough because truth be told you’re all that and so much more!