Education: A refuge and opportunity for black women

I recently came across a post on social media which said: I’ve seen education turn the lives of absolute nobodies into big shots; set them up in rooms they didn’t know existed.

It concludes by saying education has and always will be the hope of the common man. I immediately reflected on what education can do for black women. I reflected on the different kinds of women I have sat with, each containing a dose of wisdom.

Growing up in the township has allowed me a front row seat to observe my fellow sisters and, my favorite part, to listen to their conversations as they plait each other’s hair or paint nails.

From an early age I knew education was my only way out. It had to be, it was the only choice I had. I had searched for any talent I might have, but apart from being good at speaking, education was my refuge.

I normally joke about how tiring academics are but honestly, it’s worth it.

I always tell my young sister and nieces “get that education”. It changes how you view things, how you articulate yourself and how you see there are more opportunities out there.

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Education gives you options – but most importantly it’s a refuge. It’s something over which no man can ever have a say regarding your life. One can always try other things but your education will always back you up; it will fight for you in boardrooms.

And I get the notion at times that education doesn’t mean you will be successful or that everything will work out, which is what the different women I come across teach me.

They have taught me to be honest with myself. If you know you aren’t a creative person, an initiator, you don’t have the bone for busness or haven’t discovered your talent, it’s okay. But at least fight for education to be your thing, Zanele, they would say during those conversations.

During these conversations, I observed some women who knew that their beauty works for them and have used that to their advantage. I have always seen these women as brave and strategic.

And there are those with magic hands. I call them gifted because they can turn their gifts into an income. They start businesses, can be plaiting hair, catering, makeup, drawing art, anything one can think of.

And I also relate to the ones who in those corridors of the world of academia make it against all odds. These women make education their thing and make it fashionable.

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A perfect example are the young women who were also announced by the president as part of his new Cabinet: the new minister of basic education is Siviwe Gwarube and the minister of higher education and training, Nobuhle Nkabane.

These women and so many others are a tangible representation of what education can do. Even the child of a cleaner can be a doctor or a lawyer or artists. I have experienced what education can do.

It has allowed me a seat at tables I never imagined I would sit at. I have met people who have lifted me up and mentioned my name in rooms of growth. I have become more curious and resilient.

Because of education, the little girl in me jumps a bit at the idea of writing for a national newspaper and the people I meet in this journey. Because of education, I speak to the dream now in search of more.

And because of education, I am the common man.