At the Grammy awards, rapper Doechii won in the category Best Rap Album. Only 3 women have won this award – Lauryn Hill, for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, Cardi B, for “Invasion of Privacy,” and now Doechii, for “Alligator Bites Never Heal.” This award was presented to Doechii by Cardi B, the previous woman winner, with excitement you could feel. This is a male-dominated category, and Doechii’s first Grammy award!
Doechii walked onto the stage hand-in-hand with her mother, who she gave special thanks to during her speech. She began by giving a brief history of this award, followed by her testimony and appreciation for those who helped her accomplish this.
To end her speech, she directs her words to black girls and women. Doechii takes the time to motivate those alike and declare that anything is possible and to not allow anyone in the world tell you what you are worth. She frowns on negative stereotypes and reaffirms the audience that they are allowed to want better for themselves, and they are allowed to shamelessly work towards that. This proclamation was met by a standing ovation and the cameras panned to multiple groups of black women cheering in support of Doechii’s statements, further affirming it to be true.
Often times, people of color are subjected to harmful stereotypes that are a direct result of others ignorance. Even today, the chance of overhearing a bystander speak harmful stereotypes or posting them on social media is far too high. Stereotypes create a simplified and inaccurate depiction of an individual solely from what they are perceived as. This leads to unfair judgement and discrimination against those being stereotyped. Stereotypes take away a person’s individuality and strip them of anything that makes them unique. Unfortunately, black women are often a target of stereotypes; these are passed down through generations and can start to become what you see yourself as. Being told constantly that your dreams are too big, or your personality is too much is crucially demeaning, and this is reinforced constantly in society.
Doechii is historically open about her experience growing up black and has talked about the relentless bullying she faced in her youth. However, rather than letting the negative projections of others inhibit her, she allowed it to motivate her and stuck with what she loved doing. As shown from the standing ovation Doechii received during her speech, black women must stand together. This struggle is even depicted in the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog”; Princess Tiana had no one except her mother in her corner, not even other black folks in the movie.
Doechii finishes her speech by stating, “You are exactly who you need to be,” she continues “to be right where you are.” Doechii has allowed herself to be a testimony of black greatness by winning this award and presenting the world with her tear-jerking speech. Being your true self is so important, and it is crucial to not let others limit you because the sky is truly limitless; others’ opinions cannot matter if they take away from you and your successes and your happiness.