Un-Clench

STOP HOLDING IT ALL. Black women have been clenching since forever. We clench our jaws to keep the peace. We tense our shoulders to carry the weight of our families, our jobs, and our communities. We brace our hips against a world that consumes our labor but rejects our humanity. We’ve been told that this tension is strength. We’ve been praised for being "resilient," for being the "mule of the world," for being the one everyone can count on but no one checks on. But let’s tell the truth: The clench isn’t strength. It’s a slow-motion breakdown. It is the trauma stored in our pelvis and the rage locked in our fists. It is the high blood pressure, the hormonal chaos, and the silent health crises that doctors ignore. It is the exhaustion of being the "Representative" in the workplace and the "Fixer" in the home. It is the lie that if we just code-switch perfectly, work twice as hard, and silence our needs, we will finally be safe. They lied. Unclench is a raw, unapologetic declaration that we are done. Done performing "professionalism" at the cost of our souls. Done mothering grown men who refuse to heal. Done wearing the mask of the "Strong Black Woman" while we crumble inside. Takara M. Carter delivers a sermon, a strategy, and a sister-circle conversation all in one. This is a book about self-care; it is a manual for survival and a roadmap to the Soft Life you were born deserving. You have already survived. Now, it is time to breathe. It is time to speak. It is time to release. It is time to UNCLENCH.