top of page
DBW
Media
Where the voices of Black women shape news, wellness, culture, and entertainment as an educational resource.
Dear Black Woman Media, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (509(a)(2)).
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN: 33-3726585
Bringing you global news, cultural insights, and real-world stories that matter.
Dear Black Woman Letters
This section features heartfelt letters written by and for Black women. These letters are a source of empowerment, support, and encouragement, offering wisdom, love, and strength to uplift readers. Whether you’re sharing your own journey or writing to inspire others, Dear Black Woman Letters is a space for connection and healing.
07:20
Zakiyyah Broadnax: Boundaries, Daily Peace, and Healing From Within
She writes directly to women raising children. She offers scripts that teach kids clear talk: “We use inside voices when we are angry,” “No is a complete sentence,” “I need space; I will be back in ten minutes.” She suggests family meetings that set chores, budgets, and plans for fun so decisions under pressure shrink. She nudges mothers to model rest so their children learn it is normal.
Ann-Marie Maloney: Rest at the Center—Voice and Art as Healing
Her letter includes a section on perfection. She does not scold it. She thanks it for trying to keep chaos out. Then she shows how it steals sleep and turns creativity into an audit. She writes about replacing perfection with presence. A poem finished and shared is better for the soul than a draft edited to death. A dinner eaten with laughter is better than a table that photographs well and tastes like stress.
Eternity Sledge: From Chameleon to Changemaker—The G.L.A.D. Framework
Sledge speaks to women who are pillars at home, at church, and at work. She calls them to stop paying with depletion. She teaches “capacity math.” How many hours exist. How much energy tasks require. What can be delegated, automated, or deleted. She builds “not now” lists that protect focus. She encourages leaders to train replacements so they can leave rooms without collapse. This is not abdication; it is stewardship.
Brandi Rhoden, LCSW: Breath, Boundaries, and Self-Forgiveness
Brandi writes to caregivers as well: parents, teachers, church leaders, case managers. She offers a short plan for supporting survivors without causing more harm. Believe first. Do not interrogate. Offer options, not orders. Explain what will happen next. Check your own need to fix. Ask permission before touch. Follow up in a week, not a day. She writes that trust is built in small, consistent acts.
Meisha Pon: Asking for Help and Choosing Guilt-Free Self-Care
Meisha writes for individuals and for groups. In homes, she suggests a simple wall calendar, shared chores, and agreed quiet hours. Decide ahead which evening is for recovery and which is for output. At work, set response windows, protect focus blocks, and make meetings smaller and shorter. Celebrate small wins, not only big outcomes. Clarity prevents resentment. Shared rules spread care evenly.
Dr. Andrea “Angel” Taylor: Teen Motherhood to Nurse Leader—Endurance and Peace
Peace is a signature theme. She treats it as a daily practice rather than a personality trait. In her letter she writes instructions a reader can test: a morning breath prayer, a midday reset that includes food and water, a five-minute walk before hard meetings, an evening review of what can be carried into tomorrow and what must be set down tonight. She gives language for declining drama: “I’m not available for that conversation,” and “I’m choosing quiet right now.” She does
Loren A. Simon: Self-Mothering, Sankofa, and a Joyful Voice
The letter then turns toward joy, not as a reward but as a discipline. Joy requires attention. She scripts it into the week: a standing date with a book and a blanket; music in the kitchen while cooking; a phone call aimed only at laughter; a walk without headphones. She insists that joy is not optional in a healthy life. It is a practice that inoculates against bitterness.
Nikki Shantell: Self-Advocacy, Courage, and the Daily Rebuild
Nikki writes to students, too—first-gen young women who carry family expectations and their own dreams. She advises them to use campus counseling before a crisis, to learn worker rights before a manager tests them, and to memorize the nearest exits in every room but resist living like everything is a fire. She coaches them to keep copies of medical reports, to ask professors for clarity in writing, and to join at least one circle that has nothing to do with grades or status.
Robin Blue: Speaking the Truth, Choosing Self-Forgiveness
Her letter includes leadership notes for veterans and first responders. She respects chain-of-command culture while acknowledging its limits for emotional care. She encourages peer groups where rank does not block honesty. She normalizes seeking clinical support. She honors the skills learned in service—discipline, planning, teamwork—and shows how those same skills translate to long-term healing.
Mika Dean Newton: From Silence to Voice—Softness as Strength
Mika gives readers a short framework for truth-telling: observe without judgment, name the need, make the ask, accept the outcome. She practices acceptance without passivity. If the answer is no, she honors it and decides what she will do next to meet the need. That stance preserves dignity on both sides of the conversation.
Charleeta Latham: Joy, Truth, and Laying Down the “Strong” Mask
Charleeta’s letter is anchored in scripture without quoting it line by line. She orients herself toward peace and tells the truth about what disturbs it. She recommends shutting the door on conversations that go nowhere, declining invitations to prove yourself, and leaving rooms where you are tolerated rather than valued. She calls this “shaking the dust”—not as contempt, but as self-preservation and obedience to the call to keep moving.
Mauryunna Brown: The Power of Words, Worth, and Forgiveness
Mauryunna’s message is not complicated. That is the point. Practical language, conscious forgiveness, and small, protected habits build a life where peace is not the exception. She calls it a discipline, and she treats it as daily work. Anyone can start. Anyone can begin again.
Dr. Kim Thomas Manning: Caregiving, Advocacy, and Faith After the NICU
Dr. Manning gives readers a frame they can lift and carry: name the feeling, organize the facts, speak up, and keep faith. The order matters, but the practice matters more. Taken together, those steps build a life that is honest about pain and stubborn about joy.
Dear Black Woman: Our Anthology Releases September 20, 2025
On September 20, 2025, we release Dear Black Woman: Honoring Our Inner Child with Love, Compassion, and Triumph—a collection of first-person letters to our younger selves written by thirteen Black women whose lives span health care, education, entrepreneurship, the arts, veteran service, youth advocacy, counseling, and community work. Each chapter tells the truth and then offers steps. You can read it alone. You can discuss it with a group. You can use it.
Dear Black Woman from Tereasa Miller
You are seen, you are valued, and you are loved. In times of adversity, you stand tall, embodying a resilience that is nothing short of remarkable. Your spirit is unbreakable, and your contributions immeasurable. You are a beacon of hope and a source of strength for so many.
Dear Black Woman from Ashley Davis
I see you, but do you see yourself? Do you know the amazing beings we are? Do you know all we are capable of. You are seen, you are loved. From the crown of your head, the copper color of your skin, to the soles of your feet! Our light shines so bright we get overshadowed or dimmed!
Dear Black Woman from S. Cassadera
It’s okay to grieve and not be okay. It takes time to heal which could be days, months, or years to recover from the pain. It starts with wanting to do for You, Prayer, and a relationship with God, surrounded by spiritual guidance. Love yourself and all will follow you through this journey. For you are not alone in this battle.
Dear Black Woman from Samantha Curtin-Wilkerson
Surround yourself with Our ninety-two percent Cuz we all we got The next four years rest
Dear Black Woman from Efunsade McDonald
There are days when the news drains you, when the injustice angers you, when the fight for your voice to be heard exhausts you. But even in those moments, you remain unstoppable. Not because you don’t get tired, but because you rise anyway. Because the fire in you refuses to be dimmed. Because your joy, your healing, your softness—they are all forms of resistance. So, my sister, protect your peace. Nurture your spirit. Find spaces where you are seen, where you are held, where
Dear Black Woman from Dominique Williams
You are deserving of every ounce of love that is meant for you. You don’t havento settle for less than you are worthy of. Your light shines brighter than you may realize, and you will never be asked to dim it to make others comfortable. Your journey, your story, your voice they are yours and they are powerful. Do not let anyone silence what you were born to say.
Dear Black Woman from Tonye Barango
BW don’t need to prove their worth; they are more than enough. Time to rest, replenish and renew.
Dear Black Woman from Shemeca Patterson
I see you. I acknowledge the unspoken struggles you bear, the weight of pain, disappointment, and trauma that often feels like a constant companion. It’s not your fault. Society has made it all too easy to accept this suffering as just part of life, but you deserve so much more. It's okay to voice your feelings of exhaustion and to admit that you feel like you have nothing left to give.
Dear Black Woman From LaTanya Orr
Dear Black Woman, the world needs what only you can offer. Step forward boldly. Stand in your brilliance. And know that no matter where you
Dear Black Woman From Nydria Williams
Strength is not just about holding it all together. Strength is also knowing when to release, reset, and realign. You don’t have to wear the
Dear Black Woman From Shawnti Refuge
So, this is your permission slip to breathe. To put yourself first. To set boundaries without guilt. To step into every room knowing you bel
Dear Black Woman From Dominique DaCosta
Give grace to your sisters who are learning, who are not quite there yet, and who are lost. The world has been conditioned to tear us down t
Dear Black Woman from Michaela B.
Even in the toughest times, you find a way through prayer, meditation, using your voice, and collaboration.
Dear Black Woman from Carole Lang
Never feel guilty for taken a moment to show yourself some love. You are magnificent from your follicles to the soles of your feet. Your
Dear Black Woman From Tiffany Lawrence
Today, I won’t tell you to be strong—you’ve been strong long enough. Be held. Be nurtured. Be loved as fiercely as you love others. The worl
Dear Black Woman From Monique Wiggins
Dear Black Women don't be so hard on yourself, love yourself more than anyone ever could. Pour into you and do what makes you happy. Dear
bottom of page