Once upon a time, they said our hair was not "professional." They shamed us, told us we were not beautiful. They tried to convince us that black wasn't beautiful.
They failed.
Once upon a time, they denied our royalty. They refused to respect our status.
Our power.
Our worth.
Once upon a time, they denied our dreams. They told us we were nothing and would never be anything. They tried to take our light, our hope, but glory to God for keeping us that we may never lose sight of the future he had for us. A future filled with freedom and dreams come true. May we continue to look towards our future no matter what it holds.
Once upon a time, they viewed our skin as an anomaly. They saw it as grounds to segregate us, discriminate against us, deny us, hate us, criminalize us, shoot us, kill us, liken us to animals, treat us like animals, the list goes on and on. They tried to paint this image that melanin was a disease and we as a people were unlucky enough to be the ones cursed with it. But little did they know that what they viewed as disgusting would be globally accepted as beautiful.
Oh black person wrapped in melanin, dipped in radiance and sprinkled with love... how beautiful you are.
Your beauty is not something that can be stripped from you.
It is not something that comes from others or is determined by any social standard.
It is not something that comes from others or is determined by any social standard.
No, child of Africa your beauty is something that runs through your veins, it is what your skin is imbued with, it is what your spirit is made of. Never forget that.
Once upon a time they denied our wisdom. They refused to recognize our knowledge, they didn't believe our insight.
Little did they know how far we actually saw.
Little did they know we were always watching.
Once upon a time they poisoned our idea of love. A toxin so potent it is apparent in the way we treat each other today. As members of this fabled race I call for us all to respect, care for, and help each other like our ancestors begged us to. Let us love each other and make their dreams come true.
After all they are still trying to destroy our men.
They abused and are abusing our women and children...
We need not do that to ourselves, the fight is fierce as it is.
In a world that constantly demands us to fight for our well-being, it can be easy to get caught up in the vicious cycle of being sick and tired, and fighting to not be sick and tired anymore.
In the face of our provoking societies we must remember to laugh and smile, lest we forget where our happiness truly lies.
It is high time we reminded the world the "angry black man/woman"
isn't always angry.
isn't always angry.
Once upon a time we loathed our hair. We scrambled to Eurocentric beauty standards for the wrong reasons. But we know better now, to love our hair. To wear it with no fear, no regret, and no shame.
This kinky beautiful crown that defies the laws of physics... it is a gift, wear it proudly.
"Gravity Defying"
"Versatile and Unique"
"... Warm hugs, warm tea, and honey..."
"Untamed..."
"... Volume, thickness, softness, authentic, wild beauty and freedom"
"Curl definition..."
"... my glory, sacred, a crown..."
Once upon a time they tried to convince us that we were poor. They tried to convince us that we could never be wealthy, whether it be via capital, land, or status. Not only were they wrong, but misguided were they to believe that wealth principal laid in that which is of the world. My brothers and sisters, your worldly treasures will be here today and gone tomorrow for they will not last forever, neither will you. But eternal are our treasures that await us in the kingdom of heaven...
"Wondrous radiant energy... found in a black woman near you..."
Dear black person,
Have you ever taken a step back? Paused, to look deeper at the things that lie before you. Have you ever... wondered? Have you ever explored possibilities with the star-gazed eyes of a child? Eyes that see dreams as separate realities and a heart that believes in all of them. Is our time to dream over? Has the subtle oppression and the blatant cries against our skin taken away our ability to believe that we can do anything with God as our source of strength? Has it numbed us to the news of death, so much so that another dead black person is just another part of the regularly scheduled program? Has it stolen our will to speak, so much so that we feel our only option is to quietly wait for things to stop?
Has it broken you?
If it has don't feel guilty. I encourage you to lose yourself in the life around you. The birds, plants, insects, animals, trees, flowers, they exist in happiness due to their blissful ignorance towards the world they have no option but to be in. As a human you don't share the luxury of being perpetually blissfully ignorant, but you can partake every once in a while.
Happiness is crucial to our health, see to it that you get your needed dose.
Dear black person,
if you are reading this and you are feeling burnt out, if you feel like exhausted isn't even the word, or like all of your efforts feel meaningless, I encourage you to close your eyes and dream.
Once upon a time they tried to rob of us of our abilities to dream. But as our ancestors continued to hope, as they continued to pray, as they continued fight relentlessly it became clear that their endeavor to rob us had failed. The brave souls that came before us realized that without a dream to fight for there is no point in fighting... without dreams we are as leaves, detached, drifting in the wind of someone else's imposition.
Without dreams, we are hopeless.
Without dreams, we are hopeless.
So go ahead.
Dream.
Live.
Learn.
Grow.
Achieve.
Teach.
Foster.
Live.
Learn.
Grow.
Achieve.
Teach.
Foster.
Be the version of yourself you never thought you could be,
and encourage those around you to do the same.
and encourage those around you to do the same.