It’s interesting that so many of us have bought into this idea of feeling as if we are an imposter. No matter how much we’ve accomplished, we find opportunities to dismiss or discredit ourselves. I realize that there have been so many times that others made me feel that if I worked harder, if I was smarter, or more of something, it would be enough. At what point does it become enough? For people of color, we are constantly reminded that we are different. We are othered if we don’t believe the same way, don’t look the same, speak the same, or have the same experiences. It is the onslaught of blatant reminders that you are not enough, that you do not fit.
We’ve witnessed this week the Tennessee’s Republican-led House voted Thursday to expel two of three Democratic lawmakers who called for gun law reforms. The two expelled were black. The third who was not, was white. Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, were both removed with votes falling along party lines, in a disciplinary measure that’s only been used twice since the 1800s. Situations like this serve as a reminder and attempt to reaffirm that your difference is a problem. It’s designed to make us feel as if we are imposters.
Imposter Syndrome is defined as the “persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” What causes a person that has worked hard and has experienced success doubt their abilities and doubt themselves? In the Harvard Business Review article, Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey, the authors note that “Who is deemed ‘professional’ is an assessment process that’s culturally biased and skewed” and “In truth, we don’t belong because we were never supposed to belong. Our presence in most of these spaces is a result of decades of grassroots activism and begrudgingly developed legislation.” Ultimately, it’s not the individual(s) that should be questioned but environments that produce these feelings that need to be examined and exposed.
Growing up, I would often hear phrases about behavior of people of color compared to “crabs in a bucket.” Crabs in unison often pull down a crab trying to escape. It was viewed as a problem that the crabs were not cooperative or remaining confined in a bucket that was not their natural habitat. Instead, we should ask why the crabs are even in a bucket. Could it be that their behavior was in response to the trauma of being contained in an environment that was not designed with them in mind? It is stark reminder of the power of those who tell the story and the benefit of those who have the power to share and be heard. I bet the crabs would have a vastly different view of the experience.
It can become exhausting, even overwhelming to be in spaces that push conformity. God does not call us to conform to the world. Our uniqueness and difference are strengths when we are told that they are not. Remind yourself of who you are and whose you are. Tap into the power of our faith as we persevere and speak truth to power.
- “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).
- “I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works that He has prepared for me to do. “(Ephesians 2:10)
- “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.” (Romans 8:37)
- “I am the head and not the tail, and I only go up and not down in life as I trust and obey God.” (Deuteronomy 28:13)
- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:5 ESV)
Despite a world that continues to create doubt, anxiety, and fear because of our difference, we have to remain clear in God’s view of who we are. YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH! If those rooms and spaces you enter do not welcome your presence, create a building that does.
Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the CEO of Soulstice Consultancy and the founder of the Reconciliation and Restoration Foundation (r2fdn.org). She is the author of four books including Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy (Baylor University Press, 2022) and the host of the Tapestry podcast.
