Oprah on Resilience: Here’s What She Got Wrong

Recently, Oprah released an “Art of Resilience” edition of O Magazine — centering resilience as the skill women most need right now.

With respect, I see it differently. We don’t need more resilience. What we need is Reclamation. Let me explain…

Why Resilience Isn’t Enough

For too long, resilience has been the badge Black and Brown women have been told to wear.

Yes, it has carried us.
But it has also demanded our exhaustion.

Too many of us have bent, contorted, and carried impossible weight under the banner of resilience.

What we call calm is often compliance.
What we call strength is often survival theater.

What Reclamation Looks Like

Reclamation says: I will not subsidize broken systems with my body, my spirit, or my breath.

It is the choice to move beyond survival and come home to ourselves — to our power, our humanity, and our joy.

Your Turn

I want to hear from you. In the comments, let me know:

✨ Where are you still being praised for surviving the very systems that keep you depleted, exhausted, and unwhole?
✨ And what are you ready to reclaim?