For Colored Girls screenshot

For Colored Girls: A Film That Speaks to the Pain, Power, and Healing of Black Women

ByMercedes Diane Griffin Forbes

As a suicide survivor, I know firsthand how heavy trauma can feel. Sometimes, it’s so overwhelming you begin to believe the weight will never lift. You feel like you’re sinking into a dark abyss with no way out. And in those moments, the only thing that seems to make sense is slipping away in silence, one final sleep.

When I watched For Colored Girls, it spoke directly to my soul. It mirrored some of my deepest wounds and experiences, especially when it came to sexual trauma. I saw myself in those women. And not just myself, so many of the women I love. Abuse and violence have, sadly, been a shared thread through generations of women in my family.

When Your Pain Is Silenced

I grew up in a community where mental illness wasn’t seen as real and where girls were often blamed when harm came their way. We were told to pray harder, smile through it, and believe that “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” But that kind of silence is suffocating. It teaches us to hide our pain instead of healing it. And that kind of silence can kill.

This is why For Colored Girls hit me so hard. The film doesn’t look away. It doesn’t sugarcoat. It forces us to face what so many of us have lived through, often in silence.

A Story of Pain and Possibility

Despite the deep hurt, the film doesn’t leave you hopeless. It also shows the radical healing that can come through sisterhood. These women, each carrying their own trauma, find strength and sanctuary in each other. Through shared stories and mutual care, they begin to reclaim their voices.

That kind of connection is what so many of us need. That reminder that we’re not alone. That we’re seen. That healing is possible.

About the Film: For Colored Girls (2010)

  • Director: Tyler Perry
  • Writers: Tyler Perry (screenplay), Ntozake Shange (original play)
  • Starring: Janet Jackson, Anika Noni Rose, Whoopi Goldberg, Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, Phylicia Rashad, Thandiwe Newton, Kerry Washington

Each character in the film represents a different poem from Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking work For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Together, they weave a story that touches on love, loss, abortion, sexual violence, betrayal, and redemption.

I’ll admit. I was skeptical when I heard Tyler Perry was taking this on. His portrayals of Black women haven’t always sat well with me. But this time? He got it right. The film managed to retain the heart of the play. It still felt like poetry. And it honored the brilliance of Shange’s work.

The Original Play: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf

First published in 1975, this Obie Award-winning work changed American theater forever. It was one of the first plays to unapologetically center the voices of Black women, using choreopoem, a blend of poetry, dance, and drama, to express the full range of our lived experiences.

“Extraordinary and wonderful… that anyone can relate to.” —The New York Times

Shange’s language is fierce, lyrical, and raw. It’s no surprise that the book still resonates today. If you were moved by the film, I highly recommend reading the full play. It offers even deeper insight and a fuller emotional journey.

More Films That Celebrate the Power of Black Women

If you found meaning in For Colored Girls, you’ll likely connect with these too:

Final Thoughts

For Colored Girls isn’t just a movie. It’s a mirror. It reflects truths many of us have been forced to carry in silence. But it also reminds us that we don’t have to carry them alone.

This story is about survival, but also about becoming. About reclaiming your power after it’s been stripped away. About choosing to live—and to live boldly.

If you’ve never watched it, I hope you give yourself the space to experience it. It might hurt. But it just might help you heal too.

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