Showing Up for Each Other: A Call to Black Women in Times of Chaos

There is something sacred about the way Black women hold each other up. We have been each other’s safe haven for generations—through the storms of history, through personal battles, and now, through the chaos of our time. But showing up for each other in 2025 requires something deeper than surface-level check-ins or the occasional “I got you, sis.” It demands radical care, intentionality, and a commitment to truly seeing one another.

As Audre Lorde reminded us, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” But self-care doesn’t stop with the individual—it must extend to community care. If we are to thrive in a world that often overlooks, silences, and drains us, we must make a conscious effort to pour back into one another.

1. Protect Each Other’s Nervous Systems

The world keeps throwing bricks at us—political violence, racial injustice, economic instability. Studies show that Black women are more likely to experience “weathering,” a term coined by public health researcher Dr. Arline Geronimus to describe how chronic stress leads to premature aging and health disparities. Our nervous systems are constantly in fight-or-flight mode, and the last thing we need is to be each other’s battleground.

• Before trauma-dumping on a friend, ask, “Do you have the capacity for this?” Emotional labor is real, and we must be mindful of it.

• Normalize silence and rest in your relationships. Sometimes, just existing together without expectation is enough.

• Encourage each other to seek therapy, not just when we’re at our breaking point but as an act of proactive care. Therapy should not be a last resort—it should be part of our wellness toolkit.

2. Become a Soft Landing for the Strong Ones

We all know that woman—the one who always shows up, the fixer, the problem solver. She’s likely exhausted. Strong doesn’t mean invincible, and too often, we let our strongest sisters suffer in silence.

• Pay attention. If she always says she’s “good” but her energy is different, check in again.

• Show up for her without waiting to be asked. Drop off food. Send an Uber Eats gift card. Cover a bill if she’s struggling.

• Remind her that rest is not a privilege; it’s a birthright. Burnout is not a badge of honor.

3. Be a Guardian of Each Other’s Dreams

Society wasn’t designed for Black women’s dreams to flourish, which is why we must be intentional about nurturing them. Instead of passive support, let’s be active participants in each other’s success.

• If your sister is launching something—a business, a book, a wellness retreat—don’t just like her post. Share it. Buy it. Invest in it.

• Offer resources, not just encouragement. Does she need connections? Funding? A fresh perspective? Be the plug.

• Hold each other accountable. Dreams require discipline, and sometimes, tough love is the most profound support.

According to a 2023 report by the Federal Reserve, Black women remain among the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs but face significant barriers in accessing funding. When we invest in each other, we build our own ecosystems of wealth and sustainability.

4. Call Out Loneliness and Isolation

The modern world pushes us toward individualism, but isolation is a slow killer. Research from the National Institute on Aging found that loneliness can be as detrimental to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Many Black women are navigating grief, breakups, career shifts, and health challenges alone because we’ve normalized suffering in silence.

• Instead of “Let me know if you need anything,” say, “I’m coming over—what do you need?”

• Create intentional gatherings—dinner at home, healing circles, art nights. Connection doesn’t have to be grand, just real.

• If a sister has withdrawn, don’t assume she wants space. Check in, even if it’s just to say, “I see you.”

5. Remind Each Other of Our Divinity

In a world determined to strip us of our softness, our joy, and our worth, we must remind each other who we are—not just through words, but through action.

• Speak life into your sisters. When was the last time you told another Black woman how deeply valuable she is?

• Reclaim joy as resistance. Dance, laugh, take up space unapologetically. Black joy is not frivolous; it is a revolutionary act.

• Pray for each other. Meditate for each other. Hold the vision when one of us forgets.

As bell hooks wrote, “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”

Showing Up Is Love in Action

Showing up for each other isn’t just about survival—it’s about making sure we thrive. It’s about building a world where Black women don’t have to carry everything alone. And it starts with us. Right now.

So today, take a moment. Call a sister. Support her dream. Remind her that she is held. Because when Black women show up for each other, we are unstoppable.