One of my favorite Red Table Talk is Creating a New Girlfriend with Gabrielle Union. Both Jada and Gabrielle are two of my favorites; both are beautiful, fierce woman blazing their paths. So, I was interested in hearing their conversation and how they worked through their challenge and moved forward to a real genuine girlfriend relationship.
I must admit, I have seen this episode numerous time and each time it brings me to tears. They covered many different topics from knowing what makes you happy to low self-esteem to the process of growth.
The one point early in the talk that resonated with me was when Gabrielle discussed her speech at an Essence event when she spoke about taking joy in other women’s pain. It took her hitting rock bottom to realize that we should celebrate other women’s accomplishments. She realized we don’t have to tear each other down to make ourselves look more significant. She stated, “Their shine does not diminish our own light, but it makes our light shine brighter.” Wow!!! That is powerful, and it it home.
My question is why do we do that to each other? Why can’t we be happy for the success of someone else? Some of us don’t want to see others succeed. We feel threatened. This is a well-known condition in the Black community, or it may be just human nature. Why does it have to be?
I have always been a champion of women. I genuinely believe that someone’s success is a path for me to be successful as well. We should celebrate one another, not tear them down. There is plenty of pie to go around, and when it’s your turn, the light will shine brightly on you.
Post in the comments how you feel about another woman’s success. Do you celebrate with and for them?
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