Black Girl Magic: The Power of Identity

If you’ve spent any time on the Internet in the past year, you probably know that. In fact, you might have even read one of many articles that listed all the reasons why black girls are magic. But when we say black girls are magic, it isn’t just a tagline or an affirmation of something we already know; it is an intentional declaration of our strength as a group and individuals.

Our identity as black girls is not just about what we look like or where we come from; it is about who we are at our core and how we see ourselves in this world—no matter what anyone else says or thinks about us.

What Is Black Girl Magic?

Black girl magic is the power of our beauty, strength and wisdom. It recognizes that black girls are magical in our own, specific ways and that we all have the capacity to be extraordinary. Black girl magic is the idea that black girls are more than what the world sees when they look at us. It is an affirmation that we are so much more than our bodies, our hair and our skin and that we can create our own unique definitions of beauty.

Black girl magic is the reminder that we are powerful, complex human beings with dreams, aspirations and desires, and that we deserve to be in spaces where we can see reflections of ourselves and be celebrated. Black girl magic is the expectation that black girls will recognize their worth and be supported in their journey to self-love, and that they will celebrate one another and the magic within us all.

Why Black Girls Are Magic

The beauty of black girl magic is that it isn’t just about our skin color. It isn’t just about being beautiful, feeling special, or being confident. It is about being able to see all of our innate strengths and talents and being able to appreciate and celebrate them as strengths and talents. It is about being able to stand up for ourselves and for each other when we are being disrespected. It is about being able to recognize and value ourselves despite the fact that the rest of the world might not.

It is about recognizing that our experiences, identities and cultures matter, and that we have the power to define our own experiences, identities and cultures. Black girl magic is the belief that our strength and uniqueness are enough, and that they are not only enough—they are necessary. Black girl magic is the ability to look in the mirror and recognize our own magic, and the ability to see the magic in other black girls, too.

Black girl magic is the knowledge that we are powerful beyond measure. It is knowing that we do not have to squeeze ourselves into society’s definition of what is beautiful or acceptable. It is accepting that we are not lesser than or less than anyone else because of our identities. It is knowing that our bodies are our own and that we can make the choices we want to make about them, and that those choices are valid.

It is understanding that our experiences are valid, too, and that we deserve respect and support regardless of our backgrounds. Black girl magic is being able to say that we are all magical and that we all deserve to be celebrated, seen and loved for who we are.

The Power of Belonging

Black girl magic is about recognizing that we are all worthy of love and belonging. It is about knowing that we all have the right to exist and be seen and that we all have the right to feel loved and appreciated regardless of what society might say about us. As black girls, we are so often left out of the conversation, or we get talked about in harmful ways. But black girl magic is about finding our place in the world and in all the conversations, and being able Black Girls Rock founder Beverly Bond explains, “Black girls rock because they are strong and resilient, smart and inventive, and they’ve had to be.

Our society has historically undervalued them, but they’ve had to survive and thrive with so many fewer resources than others.” to stand up for ourselves and for each other against all odds. Black girl magic is about being able to recognize and respect our own worth, and the worth of other black girls. It is about fighting for our rightful place in the world and demanding our rightful place in the conversation. Black girl magic is about being able to say that we are all deserving of love and belonging and that we will fight for the right to exist and be seen.

The Power of Identity

Black girl magic is about recognizing that who we are is not something we have to apologize for or explain away. It is about not conforming to society’s expectations or ideals of what black girls should be or look like, or even sound like. It is about knowing that we do not have to conform to fit in, or in fact conform to fit in. It is about celebrating our diverse cultures and backgrounds and being unapologetic about the languages we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the ways we style our hair and everything else that makes us who we are.

Black girl magic is about recognizing our own unique strengths and talents and letting those powers guide us to who we want to be in this world. Black girl magic is about celebrating our differences and uniqueness without letting those differences cause conflict among us. It is about being able to say that we are all magical and that we all deserve to be celebrated regardless of our backgrounds.

The Power of Knowledge

Black girl magic is about knowing that we have the power to show the world who we are and what we can do. It is about being confident in our abilities and talents, and not letting anyone tell us otherwise. It is about trusting ourselves and our judgment and being brave enough to make mistakes and learn from them along the way.

It is about not letting anyone silence us or make us feel insignificant because of our backgrounds or identities. Black girl magic is about recognizing the ways in which the world has tried to silence us and keep us from being seen and heard, and fighting back against that. Black girl magic is about being able to say that we are all intelligent, creative and powerful beyond measure and that we are enough as we are.

The Power of Confidence

Black girl magic is about trusting ourselves and having confidence in our abilities and judgments. It is about celebrating our bodies and showing them off without shame. It is about being able to say “yes” to whatever we want, or “no” to whatever we do not want. It is about knowing that we do not have to put up with harmful behavior or attitudes toward us or other black girls.

Black girl magic is about being able to say that we are all confident, magical beings, and that we will celebrate one another and ourselves despite whatever anyone else might say or think.

Bottom lines

Black girl magic is an incredible thing, and it is important that we understand how powerful we are. Black girls have always been magical, but we need to believe in ourselves and our abilities, and recognize our own worth and value as a community. If we are going to truly celebrate black girl magic, we need to do more than just post about it on social media. We need to reflect on our identities and the power and magic within them and be unapologetic.

We need to recognize our strengths and talents, and not be afraid to share them with the world. We need to be brave enough to demand our rightful place in the conversation, and trust our voices and perspectives are valuable, too. We need to believe in ourselves and our abilities and know that we have what it takes to make our dreams a reality. In short: we need to believe in black girl magic, because it is real, and it is extremely powerful.

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And we're so excited to launch our Black Girl Magic Pack! We hope that these illustrations will inspire you and serve as a reminder that black is beauty.