My heart is still heavy as I remember award-winning NY1 journalist Ruschell Boone. As someone who is often in professional spaces where there are few Black women, it is always a pleasure to be in a work environment with other brilliant, kind-hearted, and generous-spirited Black women. During my visits to NY1, the laughter I’d share with Ruschell in the makeup room or next to her desk filled me with a sense of sisterhood, calm, and energy before I went on the air. Seeing Ruschell and Cheryl Wills, another amazing NY1 journalist (and author), made going into the studio feel even more welcoming…a place where I could be my authentic self and know I had at least two women who saw me and supported me.
It is so important to me to have strong Black female friendships with women who love me and give me honest advice and hard truths when I need them. Black women have the ability to give tough love and turn around and make you double over in laughter without skipping a beat. As we climb the various ladders of our respective jobs, it is imperative we maintain relationships with Black women inside (if possible) and outside of work to help stay us sane and to keep us smiling.
Losing a bright light like Ruschell will take time for me to process and to heal. Each year, more of my friends face medical challenges beyond their control, some benign and some quite aggressive and malignant. As we move through the challenging waters of doctors’ visits and labs, tests, and hospital stays, we must lean on the foundation of our sisterhood and friendships.
Black women are strong, but we are not invincible. We can create a way out of no way many times, but it is exhausting to do so and we sometimes need help. Oftentimes, it is hard for Black women to reach out for help because we are accustomed to carrying the weight (of the world).
For the next few months, I am going to set an intention to reach out to the Black women in my life to make sure they know just how much they are loved and appreciated by me. I have entered the phase in life when dear friends are losing parents and even friends of their own. We must take time to savor small moments and be sure to stay focused on what really matters in life.
I hope you will take time these next few months to reach out to Black women in your life to see if they need any help with lightening their load and finding time for laughter, a walk, a check-in, or whatever the moment calls for.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.