You want to follow me inside my head, here you go! It’s awesome here: TikTok: @whatjayesaid/@Twitter: @theladyherself.
I use TikTok like I used to to Twitter. I get all my updates, news, and scream into the void. It is all together amazing, infuriating, and satisfying. In a 2-hour time span, I run a gamut of emotions: I cry, cry laughing, learn a recipe as well as get news!
During Black History month, TikTok has no shortage of things to be irritated about or fight against! The thing that got me so confused was the word, “Sis.” Now, I grew up in the late 1990’s. So, I remember when ‘sistah’ was used as sweet spices in conversation. From the old R&B group Missy Elliot had (Sista) to what the acronym SWV stands for (Sisters With Voices)! It was a term of endearment, grabs your attention, for alerts, and lets another Black woman know that she is seen as well as loved. “Sis” is OUR word. OURS. Like clockwork, when Black women set a boundary, here come the Brigade of Karens on there Saltine Oppression Pick Me Crusade.
There was a creator on TikTok who said point blank: “If you are not a Black woman, do not call me Sis. Period. Point Blank.” And after that, she was called racist. How is this racist? Please explain this to me. Think about this now: she was called racist as a Black woman, because she asked people whom were not Black to not call her Sis. A word that we as Black women value, possess and use much like jazz musicians used “Man” amongst themselves. Why? They were called “Boy” by White people. These oceans of Karens were pressed like new white shirts! How dare a Black women tell non-Black people about a word they cannot use! A word! How dare a Black women tell White women what they can call her! Who does she think she is! Tuh!
Let me tell you this: nothing of what she said was racist, can be racist or was meant to be racist. None of it! With that reminder, she said what she said.
IF YOU ARE NOT A BLACK WOMAN, DO NOT CALL A BLACK WOMAN SIS.
Full stop. No explanation. I said what I said. Now, I cannot speak for all Black women, but I will say that applies for me too. If you are not Black, if I do not know you, do not fix your face to call me ‘Sis.’ You do not have the cultural experience, social acumen, or wherewithal to call me–a Black woman– Sis! Respect my space or move around in it! This is not hard! You cannot, and will not, colonize this word! Not while there are Black women to defend it! This is ours!
Colonizers stay trying this. Blake, Carter, Hunter and Liam–come get your mothers before they get slapped by the same wind that carried Mother Harriet to freedom.
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The Ideal Firestarter 