When it comes to the state of Black women in America, we have been through a lot this year, to say the least. One of the questions that have come up in recent conversations on and off-line has been:
Are Black women deserving of love?
Of course we are, but from the looks of things, a lot of people don’t get the message. We have experienced and witnessed collective disregard, gaslighting, being taken for granted, mislabeled, patronized, unjustly harmed, and flat out disrespected in 2020.
In spite of it all, we were inspired by several engagements, wedding, and baby announcements from Black women in different age groups and walks of life this year. The following women’s stories are being shared because many of them have overcome certain tough seasons behind the scenes and in the public. They’ve had their holidays alone, and their valleys and their mountain top moments in their singleness. They are partnering with purpose mates and are walking reminders that Black women are out here being loved truly and completely as we deserve in such a time as 2020…
Amber Riley: Actress and powerhouse singer Amber Riley got engaged this year to her fiancé Desean and many celebrated her big news! She is a beautiful brown-skinned woman with curves. In some social circles that suggest that women need to be a certain size or weight to get love, she worked on herself (inside and out) and found a man who loves all of her.
Ciara: The singer and entrepreneur not only gave birth to her third child (second with her husband Russell Wilson) in July, but they also announced they are opening their own charter school in Seattle and released a fragrance and retail company all in this year!
Elaine Welteroth: The author and former Teen Vogue Editor in Chief had one of the most stylish quarantine weddings of the year! Featured in Vogue naturally, Elaine and her husband Jonathan Singletary showed love from their NYC brownstone to their block on their special day. The couple has just moved to Los Angeles and she will be a co-host on the hit daytime show “The Talk” in 2021.
Erin Winters: YouTube Creator and entrepreneur Erin Winters aka “Erin on Demand” showed us that you can live and love on your own terms. Erin is one of the younger women mentioned in this list, but it goes without saying that you can achieve your goals with drive, focus and faith. She and her now husband Cameron got married in October and shared with us the process of building their first house. They are laying a blueprint for young millennials and Gen Zs to follow in the entrepreneur/influencer space.
JaLisa Jefferson: Faith and lifestyle blogger JaLisa Jefferson got engaged, married, and gave birth all in the same year—during a whole pandemic! Her journey became viral on social media showing that there’s hope in the pandemic to start a new chapter.
Keshia Knight Pulliam: Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam found love again in a fellow actor, Brad James, and they recently announced their engagement! Keyshia has been through a lot in her past love life, but we are hopeful for her beautiful future to come.
Kierra Sheard: One of our favorite millennial voices in Gospel, Kierra Sheard, openly shared her life with us on her YouTube channel, including her proposal which took place on her birthday this year. She and her now-husband Jordan Kelly tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in early December.
Lisa Nichols: The life coach and world-renowned speaker/author Lisa Nichols showed us that love after 50 is possible for Black women! The naysayers will suggest that women over a certain age miss their opportunities to marry, but that is not true in Lisa’s story. It was an inspirational moment for many this year as she shared the news on her social media in September.
Marshawn Evans Daniels: Reinvention strategist Marshawn Evans Daniels and her husband Jack have a beautiful bundle of joy-times three! The Daniels triplets were born this May, shortly before Marshawn’s 41st birthday. Their journey as a new family has stirred our faith this year since the first announcement from the Believe Bigger author.
Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey: Dr. Nina aka Beautifulbrwnbabydol on YouTube shared her November proposal video with her over 1.1 million subscribers. The genuine love that you see in her and her fiancé Sean’s video is proof that a high achieving Black woman can meet her match and be loved as such. As a woman who has faced so many trials and achieved much success, she maintained and is expanding to a new mentorship program, taking her practical and professional coaching to the next level for women.
Again, congratulations to these beautiful sistahs and the many more who are to be acknowledged. Be encouraged to celebrate not just them, but the everyday women in your life who you know.
