Public Speaker. Life Coach. Founder of Colorism Healing.
Author: Colorism Healing
Colorism Healing is designed to provide a nexus of information, resources, discussion, and empowerment for those in the global community who seek healing and solutions to colorism.
Colorism in education is dangerously under-addressed. Given the ubiquity and the impact of schooling and education, this oversight poses a serious systemic problem. In this week’s Wednesday Workshop, I presented an overview of why it’s important to pay attention to colorism in education and the basic strategies for addressing it. (Scroll to the end for audio and video.)
Education has historically been wielded as a strategy of oppression and dominance.
Excluding people to perpetuate socioeconomic divide.
Compulsory education to control minds and to ensure you learn what the state wants you to learn (and nothing else).
The vast majority of teachers are white- white women in particular. Their explicit prejudices, implicit biases, and blind spots make schools less safe for students of color, especially dark-skinned students.
Colorism impacts quantity of schooling. Light-skinned students attain more years of schooling, more advanced degrees, and are more likely to finish.
This in and of itself impacts economic disparities, employment, income, wealth gaps, etc.
Quantity of schooling is directly influenced by quality of education.
Colorism, because of implicit biases and explicit prejudices reduces the quality of education dark-skinned students receive. This quality is impacted by
Perceptions of intelligence
Perceptions of deviance, aggression, etc.
Social life among student peers (bullying, rejection, etc.)
Cumulative experiences year after year effect self-esteem and become self-fulfilling prophecies
White supremacist curriculums are everywhere. This includes what is taught and how it’s taught.
What experiences have you had or observed in school settings that are/might be colorism?
Reflection Question
4 R’s for Addressing Colorism in Education
Recognize Colorism. If you need help with this, email me to inquire about workshops, trainings, and professional development or grab this PDF download.
Respond to Colorism. You should definitely get comfortable responding in the moment because silence condones the behavior.
Share Resources on Colorism. There are so many, so for this post, I’ll just encourage you to peruse this site. You might also like my articles over at Teaching Toleranceand English Journal.
ReachOut to the larger school and local communities. This is a more proactive approach that ultimately helps change school culture.
HOMEWORK: If you know a teacher, make sure they are aware of colorism (send them a reference/resource). If you are a teacher, know the signs of colorism, look for ways to work it into the curriculum.
Privilege may seem like a very vague, overused term that no one cares to fully explain. I try my hand at breaking down the concept using specific key ideas in a sequence that builds from point to point. You can read the basic outline here and watch the video (or listen to the podcast) if you’re looking for more explanation.
How it Works
It’s is an advantage you were either born with or that you did not earn. In the context of colorism, this includes phenotype.
It’s measured by both what you get and what you don’t have to struggle with.
You don’t have to be aware of your privilege to benefit from it.
We all have some form of privilege.
But some people are definitely more than others.
Intersectionality can help us not only understand oppression, but also advantages. Privilege, too, can compound depending on which identity groups you belong to.
Power can be contextual. In one room you might be the least advantaged, and in other rooms you might have the greatest advantage relative to the other people in those specific spaces.
It does not mean Perfection! Privileged people lose too. They have difficulties too. None of the “bad” things that happen negate our position in the social hierarchy.
But despite situational shifts in how we experience privilege or not, we always have to understand the system (society-wide) hierarchies and patterns of power and oppression.
It doesn’t guarantee you will win, but it increases your odds of winning.
What does it mean to “Check Your Privilege?”
We all have to decide what that looks like in our lives, but here are some attitudes we might adopt as we work on it:
3 Be Attitudes:
Be Aware.
Be Considerate.
Be the Change.
HOMEWORK: Check your privilege. Leverage your privilege in support of other marginalized people and groups.
AFFIRMATION: You are worthy. You are valuable. Your value as a human is not dependent on your productivity. Your worth is intrinsic, not based on whether your win/lose or “beat the competition.” Your humanity is recognized by a higher power, even if other people don’t recognize it. I hope you recognize it.
This Wednesday Workshop is the first follow-up to my introductory session on intersectionality. This week I provide some historical context to the specific intersection of gender and colorism and identify how this intersection plays out systemically and interpersonally. I default to the American (United States in particular) context, but as I briefly mention in the recording, this can apply to other cultural contexts as well.
Overarching Systems of Oppression
Color is an intersection of gender. Gender is an intersection of color.
There are three primary systems that apply pressure to this interection:
Patriarchy– A vast system designed to maintain male dominance and power socially, sexually, economically, politically, etc.
Misogyny– Defined as hatred for women, but “hatred” might be too strong a word for many people. Misogyny most often shows up as a negative bias against women and things associated with women, femaleness, or femininity. Quite often, though, misogyny is expressed as outright, explicit hatred. This culture of misogyny sustains patriarchy.
White Supremacy– I don’t bother making a distinction between colorism and white supremacy (though I dodistinguish between racism and colorism!). Phenotype is a big factor in classifying who is white and who isn’t.
Historical Roots of How Gender and Colorism Interact
The broad white supremacist and antiblack cultural beliefs that have been entrenched over centuries in many Western or colonized societies are structured as follows:
The human ideal was white (man). The foil used as leverage to support this premise was the positioning of black (woman) as the extreme opposite, as subhuman. So not only, according to the established social hierarchy, were white men positioned as the ideal human, but black women were simultaneously positioned as less than human. At one point in the united states, this was quantified as black people being 3/5 human so that land-owning white men in Southern states could have more political power in government.
White men were positioned as the pinnacle of humanity for their supposedly superior intelligence, civilization, morals, leadership etc. White women were positioned as the pinnacle of female humanity. They were the models of feminine ideals of beauty, morals, purity, virtue, innocence, intelligence, civilization, delicateness, etc.
Black men were seen as unintelligent, uncivilized, amoral, deviant brutes. But the association with brutishness also made them recognized (stereotyped) for their physical dominance, athletic abilities, etc. In contexts where this is prized, we see a high degree of representation and acceptance of dark-skinned black men: sports, security, disciplinarians, etc. However, this stereotype of physical dominance combined with the perception of amoral, deviant, uncivilized brutishness positions black men as the ultimate criminal threat.
Unlike the dichotomy between white men and white women, there was no distinction given between black men and black women. Black women were perceived in exactly the same ways as black men. Therefore they were perceived as masculine, unintelligent, amoral, deviant, criminally inclined, brutish, physically dominant (strong), etc. Therefore, black women are susceptible to the same dangers as black men: higher rates of policing and disciplining, excessively penalized, inequitable punitive measures, etc. However, because they are women, they do not socially benefit from perceptions of masculinity the way dark-skinned men do. The association of dark-skin with masculinity and strength often benefits dark-skinned men socially, but it deeplymarginalizes dark-skinned black women, and often makes them the targets of more violence and punishment. It also discourages people from helping black women, from coming to our aid, standing up for us, etc.
This stereotype of dark-skinned black women also makes us less desirable in heteronormative romances and marriages. Dark-skinned black women are less than half as likely to be married compared to white women and light-skinned women (23% vs. 50-55%). For the sake of time, I won’t go into the impact this has on the socioeconomic outcomes of women, but just know that it’s not just a matter of “being chosen.” This lack of interest in dark-skinned black women as romantic or marriage partners coupled with the stereotype that dark-skinned women are stronger, more sexually deviant and available, etc. results in a high degree of sexual exploitation and violence such as rape. Because of the stereotypes, however, it’s often not even perceived as exploitation or violence against us. People are more likely to condone this violence when it is perpetrated against dark-skinned women and girls.
Light-skinned black men and women benefit socially and systemically from perceptions that they are closer to whiteness and therefore more intelligent, professional, moral, etc. than dark-skinned black men and women. We see this manifest in trends of employment, income, schooling, sentencing for crimes, etc. Although many light-skinned men report being negatively stereotyped as not masculine enough, this is only a negative because of our patriarchal and misogynistic culture that demands men be “masculine” and that defines masculinity in such narrow and oppressive ways.
Although light-skinned women benefit in the romance/marriage market, they have also historically been sexually exploited and raped due to the fetishization of both white and black men. A difference, however, is that because light-skinned women are perceived as being softer, more civilized, more feminine, more beautiful, etc. they benefit from receiving more empathy from others.
There’s still far more to say about this topic, but this is where I leave it for now. I will return to it again because gender dynamics in our culture have so much to do with our experiences of colorism. This was an important start, though, and as always, I leave you with homework.
Homework: 1) Take the Harvard Implicit Association Test on Color (and any other topic of interest!). 2) Begin to de-colonize your mind in small ways (consume different images, educate people who use anti-black rhetoric (or distance yourselves from them), etc.
Affirmation: We are capable and powerful enough to bring about meaningful change. Don’t let cynicism hold you back!
This was by far one of my favorite live Wednesday Workshops because I was joined by my sister, Dr. Jandel Crutchfield, to discuss colorism, privilege, and how to be an ally.
Dr. Crutchfield is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social work at the University of Texas at Arlington. She focuses on school social work and recently got awarded a Million dollar grant to help students with disabilities. Before her career switch to academia, Dr. Crutchfield worked as a licensed social worker and counselor in a variety of setting and institutions.
As sisters, growing up in the same household, and having the same mother and the same father (because people often assume we’re half sisters, itself a colorist assumption) we have lots of memories. We have done a couple of interviews before, one written interview and one video interview.
Dr. Jandel Crutchfield and Dr. Sarah L. Webb
In many of those interviews, we touch on privilege and allyship, but we wanted to specifically and explicitly address it in this workshop because of the increased attention to the need for allyship during the Black Lives Matter Movement.
We define and ask the audience to define privilege and allyship, and offer our own definitions. Dr. Crutchfield defines allyship as being willing to put your body on the line for the benefit of marginalized groups. This includes physical time, space, money, and effort. As I say, there must be some risk involved, otherwise it’s merely performative allyship.
For the rest of this discussion, I point you to the podcast or YouTube video below. There conversation there was way more interesting than I can transcribe here.
Homework: Identify an area of privilege you have, and do one act of allyship today!
Affirmation: I have the power to play a positive role in someone’s life today!
I’m asking the question: Why are you triggered? not as a form of gaslighting, but as an initial prompt toward healing. It’s a question I have had to ponder for myself, and it’s not an easy question to face or untangle.
One way of loosening the knot (you guessed it!) is writing or journaling. A writing guide I was introduced to in grad school and that I have frequently returned to for my own writing practice, for college courses that I teach, and for my coaching clients, is Kim Addonizio’s Ordinary Genius. In this book, Addonizio presents a writing exercise based on Ekhart Tolle’s discussion of the pain body.
In the live session, I read excerpts from Tolle’s article linked above. I then read a poem I wrote describing my pain body. As I have in the past, I use the poem as a model for guiding the audience through the following writing exercise.
Why are you triggered? Writing Exercise:
Think of a metaphor to describe your own pain body.
Compare and contrast how feel when you’re in a normal or positive state with how you feel when you’re triggered.
Identify and describe the physical sensations of being triggered (sweaty palms, knot in your throat, etc.)
Once you know why you’re triggered, you have the potential to diminish the power of your triggers. Tolle recommends merely being present, being a non-judgmental observer of the pain body, and simply holding space for it (for ourselves).
Homework: Do the writing prompt. Start practicing self-awareness in order to identify when you’re triggered and why. Recognize the physical sensation and make space for your feelings.
Affirmation: You have the power to heal yourself. You deserve love.
Two special little guests, my niece and nephew, joined me for a discussion about what they learned and enjoyed during our virtual library sessions.
It was the end of the school year for me and for them, and the start of Spring/Summer season for everyone. So we wanted to reflect using the documents we used to record our experiences.
It’s a good practice to record and reflect at other transitional moments as well, including graduations, changing seasons, new years, new months, new days…
This happens to build on my previous workshop: Journaling and Introspection. That one is a great addition to this one.
In addition to old faithful journals, other fun and useful tools and methods of recording and reflecting on our experiences, thoughts, and feelings include scrapbooks, memoirs, photo albums, quilts, and more.
Here are a few additional tips for reflecting and recording:
Take not of seemingly small, mundane details.
Reflect soon after you’re done so that your memory is fresh with such details.
Compare and contrast the beginning, middle, and end of the experience.
Note significant milestones, shifts, or roadblocks along the way.
Consider the best of it and the worst of it.
Think about lessons to learn.
Homework: Record and reflect.
Affirmation: I can take what I need from the past and release the rest. I look forward to my future.
This was a fun special edition of Wednesday Workshop because it was a tribute to my sister on her birthday!!! Inspired by this special occasion, I shared the following three lessons I learned from our relationship about sisterhood. And these apply to biological and non-biological sistahs.
If you like this, be sure to check out our interview.
One: Just because people expect us to compete, doesn’t mean we have to.
After my sister’s graduation, a boy noticed her many awards, ribbons, certificates, and trophies displayed on the mantel. He concluded that I must be jealous. How problematic is that?!
I actually felt proud. It never occurred to me to be jealous because I knew we were on the same team.
Writing Prompt: What are some of your proudest moments of sisterhood? What are you proud of your sister(s) for?
Affirmation: I can celebrate my sister without being afraid that I will lose.
It’s a blessing to have a confidant for difficult stuff.
I’ve learned that a great sister will both talk you off a ledge and talk you into your greatness.
Sometimes we have to find that sister in the form of a teacher, mentor, or counselor. But they do exist!
Writing Prompt: Can you recall a time when you were talked off a ledge or talked into your greatness by a sister/friend?
Affirmation: I don’t have to do this alone. I can fin support when I need it.
Dark skinned girls and light skinned girls can understand each other and really love each other.
Many times my sister acknowledge and spoke up about colorism and light-skinned privilege.
And because she and I were close, I never found it difficult to see light skinned women as my sisters.
Writing Prompt: Write what you want others to know about you. Write about what you’d like to know about others.
Affirmation: I am open to understanding, and I am open to being understood.
This week’s workshop on “mirror work” is a continuation of my interest in mirrors, which started during graduate school while I was writing my dissertation.
It recalls a previous workshop in which I recited Lucille Clifton’s poem, “What the Mirror Said.”
It echoes the neuroscience theories of V. S. Ramachandran and mirror boxes used in mirror therapy for amputee patients experiencing phantom limb pain.
And, of course, it mirrors (haha) the Snow White reference: “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,” which is quite related to the legacy of colorism and white supremacy.
Whether mirrors are used as extended metaphors in a poem or whether they are literal mirrors applied in medical work, they are great tools for healing!
To kick of the workshop portion, I use a “Mirror Work” exercise I learned from Lisa Nichols. The universe sent Lisa’s video to me at the exact moment I was getting up off my couch to prep for this workshop. (Given what was going on in my personal life that day, though, I know it was sent to me as more than just inspiration for the workshop.)
After that exercise, we then use the “In My Mirror” worksheet I created as part of the Kaleidoscope workbook. Although this worksheet was created with kids in mind, I have used it with several adults who get just as much out of the activity.
Homework: Practice your own mirror work, either with a journal as Lisa Nichols describes or with the worksheets I provide.
I’m returning to the topic of talking to kids about colorism again! I recommend also reading my earlier post: “Teaching Kids About Colorism.”
Like many of you, I grew up in a multicolored family (though not really multiracial).
My sister and I represent this dynamic especially. We have different skin tones, and over the years, we have talked about colorism often informally and formally in interview settings. We present and publish on it too.
We’ve discussed it even more recently as she considers how to raise two brown children in a colorist society.
In fact, it was one of those children, my six-year-old niece, who gave me this week’s topic. I asked her what I should talk about, and she came and whispered in my ear: “Talk about what’s on the inside.”
When it comes to raising children as parents, or teaching them as educators, or supporting them as mentors, we might ask:
How do we not only help children love themselves, but also help them avoid biases and negative attitudes regarding others?
One: Start Early.
I’ve told the story of how I recognized colorism in the preferential attention my sister got over me. I’ve also observed colorism and awareness of colorism in other 4-6 year old children, from nieces, cousins, and others.
I always say that if I could identify and articulate the colorist pattern at 5, that means I most likely experienced, observed, and understood it long before that moment.
Researchers and professionals also note that we recognize physical differences in people as early as infancy and that attitudes about groups of people start to solidify by third grade or age 8.
So start early!
Two: Start by Paying Attention.
For ideas about what you can say, pay attention to what your children, students, etc. say and do. How are they behaving? Are they afraid to play outside in the sunlight? Do they only pick white dolls? What are their preferences?
Don’t ignore these things, not matter how fleeting or innocent they may appear.
Three: Ask Questions.
Take the pressure off yourself. You don’t always have to know what to say. Oftentimes you simple need to know what to ask.
Asking questions isa great way to discover what’s actually going on with a child. We may discover that they already possess the values we hope to cultivate. Or we might discover specific points that we can easily address or research.
With a good line of questioning, children might also do the critical thinking for themselves, and reach insightful conclusions we might not have even thought of.
Yes, definitely help your children see how beautiful they are, but also help them see how beautiful other people are too!
This means affirming with words and actions that they are beautiful, that other people who look like them are beautiful, and that other people who don’t look like them are beautiful.
This is important because, children will notice if you tell them they are beautiful, but you never confirm that by appreciating the beauty of others who look like them.
In a similar fashion, if you only affirm the beauty of people who look like them, they will develop colorist perspectives rather than learning that all complexions, hairstyles (and other features) are just as beautiful.
Five: “Talk about what’s on the inside.”
There are two sides to this. The first is to not only affirm children’s physical beauty, but also their other traits. Let them know how funny they are, how inquisitive, or how kind!
But this also means helping them talk about their emotions and feelings, even the difficult ones. We can model for them and coach them in how to express and cope with their feelings in healthy ways. That includes feelings of shame about how they look, or guilt about bullying, among many other things.
Six: Educate them About Melanin!
This worked wonders with my niece and nephew. After one brief lesson on melanin, their attitudes about getting darker in the sunshine completely shifted to something they were proud of.
Explain to children that skin tone is not random or pointless, but that it comes from melanin! And that melanin serves a biological purpose that is protective and positive.
Homework: Observe and ask questions. Use the Kaleidoscopeworkbook as a tool for starting the conversation.
(Also let me know what else has worked for you when talking to kids about colorism!)
Affirmation: I have the courage to talk about what’s on the inside.
Kimberlé Crenshaw presented the concept of Intersectionality in 1989 as a way to talk about violence against Black women and other women of color. See Crenshaw’s TED talk if you want more context.
Watch, Listen, or Read More Below
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Intersectionality refers to the multiple forces or sources of inequality and marginalization that compound and add layers to how people experience violence and oppression.
Colorism is intersectional.
We all have a socially-constructed racial designation AND a biological skin tone. Race and color should not be conflated or used synonymously, as we too often do. Using the word color to describe race is actually racist and hides or obscures the reality of colorism.
Our complexion also intersects with other forms of identity like gender, class, and ethnicity, and with other physical features like hair texture and eye color.
We usually have at least one focus of identity that matters more to us for various reasons, or that we feel most potently, or that impacts us most often and most overtly.
Q: Which of your identities is most significant for your right now? Why? Has that changed over time? Why?
Intersectionality and Privilege
It’s important to note that intersectionality can also be applied to privilege.
You don’t have to be aware of your privilege to have privilege, just like you don’t have to be consciously aware of your oppression to be oppressed.
That includes things like implicit bias (unconscious biases); systems of oppression and privileges that have been intentionally hidden, obscured, disguised, and burried; and individual actions that are anonymous or secret or simply unknown.
Unfortunately, these myriad nuances are sometimes used as ammunition to gaslight those who speak out about colorism and other issues. Perpetrators will say, for example: “Well, I’m dark-skinned, and I was never discriminated against.”
It’s important to consider other intersections of your identity–like class, culture, and hair texture–that may have shifted your experiences of colorism or the apparent lack of such experiences.
Homework: Map out your own intersections of identity. Identify where you can be an ally, and where you need advocacy.
Affirmation: I am a multifaceted being, and I accept and embrace all of who I am.
How have I perceived myself in the past, particularly my complexion, hair, eyes, nose, etc.?
How did I develop those attitudes and perceptions?
What about my beliefs and attitudes about others? How did I get there?
Pivoting
The pivot isn’t always a 180 degree reversal in the opposite direction. Like a compass with a full range of points, you can explore an array of perspectives. It’s not a binary, but a spectrum. Journal prompts for the pivot point:
When was a time your perspective on beauty, skin color, hair texture, etc., flippedor was challenged or altered in some way?
If you could respond now, what would you say?
If you could revise earlier messages, what would the new and improved messages be?
Proceeding
Proceeding requires perseverance and vigilance. If we aren’ actively rowing, then we’re drifting. Questions to ponder in this phase:
What’s one way you can continue on your own path of colorism healing?
What about continuing your individual activism/advocacy against colorism?
What potential hurdles or obstacles might you encounter as you proceed? What personal or communal resources will you use to overcome them?
New Attitudes About Colorism
People can change. Whether you’re working to change your own attitudes or you’re hoping to influence the attitudes of family, friends, or others, commit to this process, and you will see changes!
Homework: Do your one task to proceed. OR Pick up at whatever stage you’re in.
Affirmation: You have the power to change your reality!
I built on the previous workshop on metaphors and focused more this time on the healing aspects of writing for this live Wednesday Workshop, particularly poetic writing, especially since this was also streamed during National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).
I believe we can use writing as a central tool in our spiritual work, mental work, to build confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, socio-political consciousness, and so much more.
Poetry can be a polarizing subject. I know from my years of teaching writing. There’s lots of confusion and mystery and myth around it, even minor traumas for some. People either love it or hate or they’re completely apathetic. In this workshop, however, I focused on poetry for it’s spiritual and political utility, quoting Audre Lorde (which I featured in the Colorism Poemsanthology):
“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.”
Audre Lorde, “Poetry is Not a Luxury”
Poetry is not escapism, for me as I approach it here. It is a tool we use in the world to help us create our world.
Think of a difficult situation you’ve experienced, past or present, deep or not.
Think of yourself in that situation and brainstorm possible metaphors for who you are/were in that situation. Who or what are you in that difficult situation?
Choose a metaphor and stick with it. Extend it into a poem.
My Example:
You’re a notebook woman. You’ve got reams of potential, so much to say. You are the author of your own life. They try to shut you, close you, rip out your insides, tear you down your spine, burn your substance to ashes. But you a notebook, woman, and there will always be another page.
After you give the prompt a try, send me a message and let me know how it goes!
Homework: Give another try at using poetry to reflect on difficult situations.
Affirmation: You are somebody. You are worthy. You are valuable.
The original live stream aired in April, which is National Poetry Month (and National Poetry Writing Month, NaPoWriMo). So I shifted my focus from the previous two weeks of practical grammar lessons to a more poetic focus on the power of metaphors.
Metaphor is essentially just referring to one thing as something else that is comparable. Some common examples from everyday speech are wave of emotions, get off your high horse, bag of tricks, and I hit rock bottom. In fact, even people who claim to not be “good at poetry” or poetic people, actually use metaphors all the time. Metaphor is deeply engrained in our everyday language.
The Power of Metaphors and Colorism
As such, metaphors greatly influence how and what we think about things, including people. That’s the connection to colorism. Metaphors, how we describe and talk about things, reflect and influence our attitudes and beliefs and feelings about those things. A classic example of this is how we describe things at are dark, brown, or black. That’s why I love using my passion for language and writing to address the issue of colorism.
Writing Prompt: Describe what you see. Pick a person, place, or thing and describe it in three ways: as objectively as you can, as if you are in love with it, and as if you are afraid or suspicious.
Homework: Pay attention to how you’re using language and consider what effect it might have.
Affirmation: You are creative. You have the power to create.
In my second LIVE Wednesday Writing Workshop (streamed on Facebook and Instagram), I responded to viewer requests to discuss semicolons and dashes. But I delivered that grammar lesson via a session on gratitude. We wrote gratitude statements as a way to practice using semicolons and appositives.
This second live writing workshopped build off the first in which we wrote affirmations as a way to practice writing grammatically correct sentences.
These workshops were also both based on activities in the Kaleidoscope workbook, which was originally created for elementary school children, but I adapted it just fine for the adults of varying ages who tuned in and participated in these live writing workshop sessions.
It has been a deeply rooted philosophy of mine since I started teaching high school English courses that we can more readily build self-esteem and improve literacy if we combine those two initiatives into the same experience. This is one of the things I believe in most and that is a central pillar of my pedagogy even today as a university professor.
Gratitude Statements During a Pandemic?
This session was especially important because it was early in the COVID-19 quarantine, stay at home, social distancing orders. We had to really be more proactive than normal about focusing on what we’re grateful for.
Within all of the positivity, spiritual, self-help content I constantly immerse myself in, I learned that it is often when we are the least motivated to think positively, that positive thinking makes the biggest difference in our mood, behavior, and life!
So during this time when it was so easy to get bogged down with fear and negative thinking and grief, this workshop was much needed.
Homework: If you haven’t already, start a Gratitude Journal! You can fill it with infinite phrases that begin with:
We’d like to give special thanks to all participants and supporters as well as guest judges Monique Desir, Aditi John, and Breeanna Wright. The results are finally in, and we’re excited to share this year’s voices with you!
Monique L. Desir was born and raised in Florida. She’s a full-time reading teacher who hasn’t quite figured out how to escape the Sunshine State and is surviving and thriving within its alligator-infested clutches with her husband and three sons. The daughter of West Indian parents (Haitian father, Jamaican mother), she loves learning about different cultures, languages and people. She binge-watches forensic television shows and Soca dances until she glows, so she can have seconds on cake. Her stories have been published in FIYAHLiterary Magazine, Nightlight Podcast, Colorism Healing anthology Volume 2, and Rivière Blanche’s 2019 Dimension Uchronie short story anthology. Find her on Twitter @moniquedesir.
Aditi John
Aditi Precious John
Aditi Precious John is pursuing B.Com from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi with her first year coming to a successful close. She is aiming to prove herself as a banker in her near future. She started to appreciate poetry and admire poets since her 9th grade and dreamt to be one of them. A page named Secret of Shadows with 6.3k+ followers on Instagram, is being handled by her for the past 2 years. Writing has been her passion since ages. She’s a reader by the day and a writer by the night.
Breeanna Wright
Breeanna Wright
Breeanna Wright is a poet whose work predominantly covers the complexity of love and African American life. Recognizing that the adversity many African Americans experience today stems from the same seed of struggle her ancestors endured inspires her work. She hopes to give the African American community a voice through her words by painting the diverse image of black life, focusing on both the beauty and adversity rooted in blackness.
Jaidyn Bryant is a freshman Biology pre-med student at Xavier University. A recent graduate of McKinley High School, she has public health aspirations, particularly in Black and Hispanic communities. This poem was written with James Baldwin’s concept of the Alabaster Christ in conjunction with particular southern black family & faith dynamics in mind.
Elizabeth Upshur describes herself as a Black Southern poet. She holds an MFA from Western Kentucky University and her work can be found in Mistake House, Pomona Valley Review, and Red Mud Review.
3rd Place Winner: Isha Jain- “Mama’s Milk” (Fiction Story)
Editor’s Picks
The following authors will also be featured in the upcoming anthology.
The digital world has been abuzz with controversy regarding the Netflix original limited series Self Made inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker. Much of that controversy surrounds the historical accuracy (or lack of it) throughout the series, but particularly when it comes to the character Addie Monroe. Many people who complain about the series suggest that the character Addie Monroe is meant to portray the real historical figure Annie Malone, and that the creators of the series made egregious errors in documenting Malone’s life.
As I suspected and eventually saw confirmed in tweets by A’Leila Bundles, Addie Monroe is actually a composite character. The use of composite characters is extremely common in film adaptations. This means that Addie Monroe was never intended to represent Annie Malone. The historical or “real” characters in the film maintained their historically accurate names, such as Freeman Ransom. Details about Addie Monroe borrowed heavily from Annie Malone’s story, no doubt, but also from other people and forces in Madam C. J. Walker’s life. The purpose of this composite character was to synthesize multiple external conflicts into an identifiable antagonist.
Some might argue that the similarities in both name and occupation are too close for comfort to be fully ignored. That’s a fine assessment to make, and I’m actually thrilled that Annie Malone’s legacy is benefiting from a bit of spotlight right now. After-all, it never hurts to know about more successful black women.
But I think the focus on accurately portraying Annie Malone hijacks the movie’s commentary from another important issue that I do think the creators intentionally prioritized in the film via Addie Monroe’s character and others: Colorism.
I think this Netflix series gives us such a salient and poignant tool to confront the harsh, ugly, painful legacy of colorism in American culture, but we’re wasting the opportunity by discussing the series as if it’s a documentary, or a history textbook, or a legal document. This series was never passed off as the official record of history. It is very explicitly an artistic interpretation of history inspired by specific parts of Madam C. J. Walker’s life. By fussing over fidelity to the facts or getting “the complete, accurate, and precise picture” of all of Walker’s life, we ignore that a dramatization made for TV is essentially a work of art.
While I do think artists are responsible for the impact of their work and that their work is rightfully subject to critique, I also think artistic license is necessary. An artist might rightfully say, for example, I’m inspired by Walker’s relationship with her daughter, and I want to create a piece that focuses on that. Or I’m inspired by Basquiat’s crown motif, and I want to write a book that explores his use of that. Or I’m inspired by all of Nina Simone’s life, but I want to tell it from the perspective of her piano. In other words, artists are free to take the angle that most intrigues them without having to appease everyone who might have a different perspective.
Also, it’s okay to have different perspectives. It’s actually more than okay. It’s great! That’s kinda what keeps the world revolving and evolving.
My Perspective
My discussions about composite characters and art comes primarily from my position as a creative writer and creative writing professor who purposely earned her writing MFA at a predominantly visual art school. My perspective for the rest of this discussion is primarily based in my identity and experiences as a dark-skinned woman who has been immersed in studying, researching, writing about, and advocating against colorism for several years.
Shortly before Self Made premiered on Netflix, another video related to black hair care went viral. In this video, a 4-year old girl is getting her locks done. She stares at herself in the camera and very clearly and directly articulates: “I’m so ugly.”
The parallel astounds me. More than 100 years later–more than a century later–members of our youngest generation still struggle with feeling ashamed of how they look as black girls.
That’s what I want to talk about.
A life like Madam C. J. Walker’s can inspire very many conversations, but the Self Made creators clearly intended to spark conversation about colorism. We really can’t tell Madam C. J. Walker’s story without that theme, because it was eurocentric beauty standards that made such hair products so popular to begin with. Even now in the new natural hair movement, there’s still texturism and a preference for certain kinds of natural hairstyles.
(I know that black people were taking great care of our hair long before the diaspora spread to the Americas, so black hair care is not inherently colorist, but since the diaspora, colorism has been a pillar of the industry.)
I love the way Self Made puts colorism front and center, and not just as a one-off, isolated incident. The series shows colorism as an ugly and ubiquitous reality pervasive in everything from regular small talk at the beauty salon to major systems of employment and oppressive forms of representation. One of my favorite things about Self Made is that there were numerous lines and scenes that incorporated colorism in all four episodes. I won’t describe them all, but I’ll share some general takeaways I got and the big questions that the series raises.
Colorism Affects Self-Esteem.
“They put us down, tell us we’re ugly, make us feel ugly….”
Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made
We didn’t need Self Made to tell us this, but it’s an honest depiction. These words spoken in Self Made are echoed by the 4-year-old girl in the Instagram video. It almost feels like time travel the way Madam C. J. Walker’s words in Self Made are mirrored by the words of this baby girl. We can’t deny that this painful legacy still lives on, even alongside the legacies that make us feel good, proud, and comfortable.
But it’s also great to see that a woman can be wildly successful despite struggling with self-esteem. The trend these days is to be “unbothered” and impervious to everything. In Self Made, we see Madam C. J. Walker struggling with feelings of shame and doubting her self-worth due to colorism while simultaneously demonstrating confidence, courage, strength, determination, and tenacity. People aren’t successful because they’ve never dealt with insecurity. They are successful because they don’t let their insecurities hold them back. They overcome. They feel the fear and do it anyway.
Colorism Affects Job Opportunities.
In one scene, Madam C. J. Walker gives a persuasive sales pitch to a group of women at a street market, saying:
“Wonderful hair leads to wonderful opportunities.”
Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made
Throughout the series, Madam C. J. Walker and other characters speak directly about how hair and complexion limits the job opportunities for so many black women. Things have improved over the decades, but we are still dealing with this issue, especially about hair that’s deemed unprofessional, people not getting hired at all, or getting fired for refusing to adhere to company policies on hairstyles, young girls getting suspended or kicked out of schools for not fitting into the eurocentric standards of professionalism and respectability.
Light Skinned Privilege is Real.
“Colored women would do anything to look like me even if deep down they know they can’t.”
Addie Monroe in Self Made
Directly tied to the career opportunities is the reality of light-skinned privilege. While biracial and/or light skinned black people are not granted white privilege, they are still positioned higher in the phenotype hierarchy than darker skinned people. If anything, Self Made reveals that a light skinned, biracial woman like Addie Monroe can actually have a lot of painful struggles in life even while working really hard. And I like that about the series. Just like Madam C. J. Walker wasn’t all superhuman success, Addie Monroe and other light skinned characters were not all posh.
There’s actually a scene where Booker T. Washington’s character compliments Addie on her good looks. It’s clear in that scene that Madam C. J. Walker is bothered by this praise because she knows it’s based in colorism. However, Addie also appears uncomfortable with the attention. I think this is a great instance of nuance on the part of the filmmakers. They depict the reality of light skinned privilege, but also depict the complicated dynamics of such privilege. The hierarchy is made very clear, but so are some of the nuances, contradictions, and complications within that hierarchy.
Colorism is Normalized.
An important aspect of how colorism is depicted in Self Made is that it’s woven into the everyday life of all the characters. It’s not an anomaly or an isolated incident. It keeps showing up again and again. Some commentators see that as a flaw in the show. As someone who created a platform for raising awareness about colorism, I see it as a point of praise.
I be tryna get across just how pervasive and ingrained colorism is. That it happens every day. That it’s in the media. It’s in conversations with our family. It’s in our intimate and romantic partnerships. It’s in our career lives. It’s in our entertainment. It’s in our social organizations. It’s in our politics. It’s in our activism. It’s in our sense of style. It’s in our culture. It’s just there.
I’ve seen so many shows and movies that give subtle nods or mere allusions to colorism periodically if at all. I like that in Seld Made there’s just no escaping it. We can’t brush it off and go back to feeling comfortable.
Confronting our Legacy of Colorism is just as Important as Celebrating our Historical Achievements.
Self care covers a range of areas. Although my usual focus is on the inner work, in this post, I focus on the body and what I enjoy the most in caring for mine.
5. Moisturizing
A major part of Colorism Healing is loving the skin we’re in. And hair, too.
One practical way I like to love my skin and hair is to find pleasure in moisturizing them.
There’s a lot in the pampering and cosmetics industry that I don’t spend money on, but I am happy to splurge on lotions, oils, conditioners, and prescriptions (since I have seborrheic dermatitis). This has become especially important since I moved to the colder, dryer, windier climate of the Midwest, which is tough on skin.
But moisturizing is also significant for the the physical touch required to apply the moisturizer. That’s were the tenderness comes in. Making the time to caress my own skin with a loving hand is healing. It sends positive energy and implicit messages to my body that she is loved, cared for, seen, and significant.
4. Aroma Therapy
For me, aroma therapy is anything that smells great. I often use the above practice of moisturizing as a favorite form of aroma therapy by buying scented oils and lotions. But it definitely goes beyond the Bath and Body Works Black Cherry Merlot body cream.
I use candles every day at home and wall plugins at work. In the past, I’ve periodically used wax melts, diffusers, incense, air fresheners, Febreze, carpet powder… I like when things smell good.
And it’s not just about the pleasure of pleasant smells. Certain fragrances can also help us sleep, relax, concentrate, reduce anxiety, etc. As a form of bodily self care, aroma therapy helps bring me back to the present moment, make me mindful of my body, add a small spark of joy to me day, and often makes me smile.
3. Hydration
The one healthy dieting practice I have been able to consistently stick with is drinking lots of water. That’s about 90% of what I drink, and most days it’s 100%. It helps that I simply like the taste and feel of (most) room temperature tap water. It’s good for my health and finances and cuts down on plastic bottle waste. When I moved to Illinois, my kitchen water tasted horrible, so I did have to invest in a filter.
I started by drinking a (reusable) bottle of water right after waking up and right before going to bed. I then added water to every meal, even if I also drink non-water during that meal.
Eventually, I just stopped craving sodas and juices.
I still drink coffee, tea, and hot chocolate as a treat when I’m at Starbucks or other cafes. And I occasionally go for non-water at special occasions and gatherings, but even that’s rare.
2. Sleep/Rest
You’re probably not surprised to see this on the list. This is a big one for me because I’m anemic (and probably have other bad habits or medical traits that contribute to fatigue).
I used to beat myself up about how much I slept and my long afternoon naps. I was slipping into self-loathing because I saw myself as lazy. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t “motivated” to do more (more work and more of other things but especially more work).
Then I got blood work done and was diagnosed with severe anemia. So it’s been iron pills and foods with high iron content ever since.
Regardless of the anemia, I have learned to accept my need for sleep, whatever the underlying reason. Partly because I became aware of the importance of sleep. It’s like the lead domino when it comes to wellbeing and productivity. I even learned from a doc on TikTok that you’ll die from lack of sleep sooner than you would from a lack of food. (Ikr)
But I’ve also just learned to accept how my body feels and not judge how I’m feeling or fight against it. My new perspective, when I wish to be working instead of sleeping, is that getting sleep when I’m sleepy will allow me to do more and better work later.
1. Movement!
I specifically did not use the word exercise. I love exercise, especially running, but bodily self care is about all types of movement.
Dance is by far my favorite form of movement. I’ve had a reputation for dancing for years now. Like that year in college when random strangers told me they’d heard I was a good dancer. I’m not a So You Think You Can Dance “good” dancer, but I do got rhythm, though 😉
I also have to focus on movement because my vocation as a writer and educator is most often sedentary work. Therefore, I try to be aware of how long I’ve been sitting so I can stand, walk, stretch, or dance approximately every hour. Sometimes I set timers or time limits for bouts of work, but usually I just practice being aware of my body and whether or not it feels like moving (which sometimes coincides with my own waning will power to work).
As I get older, the law of inertia becomes more and more evident: bodies in motion tend to stay in motion … bodies at rest tend to stay at rest ….
One of the main reasons I’m prioritizing movement now is so that I have healthy mobility later.
BONUS Self Care: Dietary Decisions
This did not make the top 5 because I’m far less consistent and disciplined with my dietary habits, but it’s an honorable mention because I still aspire to healthier habits in this area of my life. It’s hard for me because I have not discovered the joys of cooking, so I go for foods that require no cooking or minimal prep. When I do use the stove or oven, I prefer meals with the fewest steps and ingredients.
WRITING PROMPT:
What are you favorite self care practices for the body? Why do you enjoy them? Are there any practices you are looking to include in your daily routines?
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I recently taught a course at the University of Illinois Springfield called #Melanin: International Perspectives on Skin tone. I thought, as an African American woman, that the term melanin was very common, that the average, everyday citizen knew what melanin was. But then my students asked me in the first week: What is melanin?
Then I realized that not everyone is as versed in that discourse community as I had thought. It’s possible that knowledge and use of the word melanin is more common in communities that have more melanin.
So what is melanin, exactly?
I’m not a scientist or a biologist, by any means. But I do like words, and I like sharing new vocabulary. So I’m going to try to help explain as best as I can.
Melanin is a chemical produced in our body by cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that exist on the lowest layer of our skin. Melanin is one of the most important, though not the only factor, in determining our skin color.
Melanin, however, is not just about the color of our skin, it’s also about protecting our skin from the UV (ultraviolet) rays that we get from the sun. And since it’s melanin’s job to protect us from the sun, we tend to produce more when we have more exposure to the sun. That’s why people look tan, or their skin complexion looks darker when they’ve been out on the beach on a sunny day for a long time, because the body will produce more in order to provide more protection in that situation where it’s getting more sunlight.
While most people have about the same amount of melanocyte cells, not everyone’s cells produce the same amount of the chemical melanin. That’s why we have such varying distinctions in skin tone.
So the key thing to remember about melanin is that the more you have, the darker your skin. The less, the lighter.
So now that we understand the biological definition of melanin, I want to talk about why melanin is poppin. Why exactly is it “on fleek”? I know that’s an outdated term at this point, but I still remember those hashtags, and they are dear to my heart (#MelaninMonday #MightyMelanin).
The reason I think people started coming up with these affirming hashtags, statements, and phrases is because people with more of this magic chemical (aka people who have darker skin0 have typically been stigmatized throughout the world.
This is what we call colorism.
Perhaps for many people, knowing the biology behind their skin tone helped them to stand proudly in their darker, browner skin in a world that tends to marginalize people of those complexions.
I also think knowing the beneficial nature of melanin also helped people to affirm their skin tones. Knowing that their darker complexions was actually their body’s way of protecting them and offering them shielding from harmful sun rays was a celebratory thing. Referring to our skin tone by using the biological term was perhaps a way for us to see the privilege of being darker skinned.
And when people say it’s “poppin” or “on fleek” or it’s glistening or it’s glowing or whatever other positive terms we want to use for that deliciously brown complexion, we think about how our skin color does glow or glisten in the sun. Or how our skin tone does make certain colors “pop.” Melanin does that.
So there you have it folks. That is the biological definition of melanin and also the social use of the term.
So for all the young people out there who might have once thought their skin was a curse or some kind of disadvantage, we now can see our skin color as biological magic.
I try not to roll my eyes when people make racist comments about my hair. One of my pet peeves since going natural is when folks ask me: What are you doing with your hair? What are you going to do to your hair?
At my high school graduation, a black dude, who was extremely colorist, committed this racist microagression by asking that very question with a smug smirk on his face: “So what you gone do with your hair?”
I shrugged and said: “Put a hat on it.”
Women of other races let their hair fly free in its natural state all the time and I’ve never heard of anyone asking them what they’re going to do with their hair. (Maybe I’m wrong. Just because I haven’t witnessed it doesn’t mean it’s not a thing.)
But black women with natural hair are expected to “do something” aka tame our hair for special occasions like graduations, weddings, proms, school dances, job interviews, presentations, and just everyday work-life existence.
If we don’t ask women of other races who are just wearing their natural hair in its natural state, what they’re going to do with that hair, then it is racist and antiblack to ask black women.
That’s why the Weekly Word is: Aesthetic.
Weekly Word: Aesthetic
(adj.) related to beauty or style
(n.) a belief about beauty, style, or taste
I choose my hairstyles for aesthetic, practical, and political reasons.
I choose to define and embrace my own aesthetic rather than submit to oppressive beauty standards.
In a world saturated by antiblackness, racism, and white supremacy we are conditioned to dislike a natural black aesthetic. We are conditioned to prefer a more white, European, or simply nonblack aesthetic.
That applies quite obviously to hair but it can include other things like facial features, body type, and fashion style (until white celebrities decide they want to appropriate it).
We have been fed for centuries that some European woman’s aesthetic was the universal standard of beauty, femininity, professionalism, etc. And more recently, for black people, it doesn’t even have to be a European aesthetic. For many of us, any non-black look (i.e. Southeast Asian, Native American, “Latina,” etc.) is preferable to blackness. I know race and ethnicity are not the same and there are “black” women who are also Latina, etc. But I’m explaining the language and the attitude that is prevalent among African Americans.
Of course one of the most common arguments is that natural black hair is just not professional.
If your “professional” aesthetic also, somehow, is an exact match to a naturally European or non-black aesthetic (i.e. straight hair), then your notion of professional appearance is a racist notion.
We all choose our own aesthetic. And the variety is beautiful.
But be honest with yourself about where your “preference” comes from.
Could it be a preference based on years of white-supremacist, racist, antiblack conditioning via the media, major institutions, standardized education, or your family upbringing?
Yes, your preference can be a racist preference.
Just like the Ku Klux Klan prefers to only have white Christians in this country, your “preferences” can be racist preferences.
I invite all of us to do a little introspection and ask ourselves why it’s so hard for us to really appreciate and love natural black beauty on ourselves and/or on others?
I’m well aware that this is a touchy taboo subject, but that’s what I’m here for.
Sincerely,
Sarah
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We all have those iconic role models whose words, art, and revolutionary lives shape who we are and what we do today. Below is a (slightly chronological) list of 8 historic figures who deeply influenced my colorism healing journey during my adolescence and as I was coming into young adulthood.
I discovered Marcus Mosiah Garvey around 2000 or 2001 while scouring blogs to find support while transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair as a sophomore in high school. Blogs like Curly Nikki were coming into prominence at the time and there were a couple of pages and forums for black women in their natural hair transition.
On one such page I discovered a quote by Garvey:
“Don’t straighten the kinks in your mane. Straighten the kinks in your brain.“
Marcus Garvey
I learned that Garvey also launched a Black is Beautiful campaign long before the Civil Rights movement made the phrase “Black is Beautiful” a popular statement.
This was all food for my adolescent black girl soul.
2- Malcolm X
Like many people, I’d known Malcolm from the Spike Lee movie, and his autobiography, but it wasn’t, again, until my natural hair journey and searching online for information that I discovered his 1965 speech: “Not Just an American Problem, but a World Problem.”
He really broke down colorism in a way I always felt but never articulated or saw or heard articulated and broadcast so clearly and so boldly. He clearly explained the correlation between the white-controlled media’s negative images of Africa and of Black people and how that influenced black people to despise Africanness and Blackness.
“It’s imagery. They use their ability to create images, and then they use these images that they’ve created to mislead the people. . . . Our color became a chain, a psychological chain. Our blood — African blood — became a psychological chain, a prison, because we were ashamed of it. We felt trapped because our skin was black. We felt trapped because we had African blood in our veins.”
Malcolm X
You can read more excerpts from X’s speech in my post on Colorism Quotes.
3- Alice Walker
Book cover for Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens
I learned about Alice Walker’s treatment of colorism via her short story “Everyday Use,” which I read my freshman year of high school (I think) and it recently inspired an article I published in English Journal titled “Everyday Colorism.” The story is about two sisters, one lighter and one darker, and the differential outcomes and differential treatment and overall tension between them.
As an adult I read In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens (a tribute to Zora Neale Hurston, whom I’ve included later in this list). In this book, Walker actually coins the term colorism and she really breaks down the issue, especially among African American women, in the chapter “If the present looks like the past, What does the future look like.” Walker argued that colorism is just as significant as sexism and racism and colonialism.
You can read more excerpts from Walker’s book in my post on Colorism Quotes.
4- Zora Neale Hurston
In my junior year of high school, I read Zora Neale Hurston’s autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road. Hurston calls out the hypocrisy of colorism among African Americans:
Image of Hurston with overlayed quote: “If it was so honorable and glorious to be black, why was it the yellow-skinned people among us had so much prestige?”
At that time in my life I felt the pain of colorism very deeply. But I also felt the enforced silence about colorism within my community just as much. It was way more taboo to discuss it back then. I felt so validate reading Hurston’s words. I re-read them over and over again. It was cathartic to hear someone (of such historical prominence at that!) speak so directly and bluntly about colorism and corroborate my own observations and experiences.
5- Toni Morrison
Early in college, a friend of mine let me borrow The Bluest Eye (1970). I instantly recognized the internalized white supremacy that the main character suffered from. Seeing how deep her suffering went gave me perspective: As much as colorism and racism hurt me, I would be okay.
Years later I read Morrison’s follow up on the topic, God Help the Child (2015). In an interview, Morrison said she revisited the topic because the first novel was so tragic. Without spoiling the story for those who haven’t read it, the more recent novel does offer us something that the first did not–hope for redemption, healing, forgiveness (including self), and reconciliation.
6- Wallace Thurman
Book cover for Wallace Thurman’s The Blacker The Berry
Before discovering Wallace Thurman’s The Blacker the Berry at a used bookstore (I think) early on in college, I had never read anything that was so explicitly about colorism. The book depicts colorism in every way and on every page: everything ranging from differences in hair texture, gender, dating and sex, employment, education, social groups, and class.
Thurman was a Harlem Renaissance writer, and the story mostly takes place in his contemporary setting of 1920’s Harlem. The main character is a dark-skinned, young black woman who is both a victim of colorism and a perpetrator of colorism.
Thurman’s novel remains one of the most thorough and complex studies of colorism I have encountered to date.
7- Nina Simone
As with many of the people on this list, I discovered the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone, while I was in undergrad. She herself was a dark-skinned black woman with wooly hair, which automatically drew me to her. I had previously only known the Billy Holiday’s and Lena Horne’s, whom I did not identify with as deeply. And I suspected that their relative fame was itself an outcome of colorism.
The first song I heard was “Little Girl Blue,” and it was love at first listen. But then I listened to “Four Women,” and Simone then became and remains one of the most iconic historic figures in my personal life. The song itself is about four black women with different skin tones and the struggles they face in a racist and sexist country. The first woman has black skin and wooly hair, and her name is Sarah!
Never before had I felt so thoroughly represented in music.
8- Gwendolyn Brooks
Now that I’m living in Illinois, I get to see more of Brooks’s legacy, since she was a Chicago girl. She’s another dark-skinned writer, like myself. One of my favorite books of all time is her autobiographical novella Maud Martha. The prose is so poetic.
Brooks talks explicitly about the character’s experiences with colorism starting in childhood with being ignored by her family in favor of their favorite–her older and lighter sister Helen. Maud Martha is bullied and ignored as a kid, and as an adult, her classist husband prefers and entertains pale-skinned, “white-looking” women.
But I see myself in Maud Martha because she has a rich inner life. She’s deeply introspective, self-reflective, and has a vibrant interiority. Despite her external observations of the world, she reserves a special perspective of her place in the world that is only hers. She asserts herself in the world in ways that reflect her firm self-assuredness.
My list is not meant to be representative of everyone who has said anything worthwhile about colorism. So if there are other individuals who’ve greatly inspired you in your personal path toward colorism healing, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from ya!
Sincerely,
Sarah
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Diana Vazquez is a junior at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She is majoring in English and aspires to be an editor in trade publishing. At UIS, she is the Fiction Editor for The Alchemist Review and a Peer Editor for Continuum, two student-run literary magazines. She is very excited to be working with Dr. Webb on the Colorism Healing Writing Contest this year!
Listen or Watch Diana Vazquez’s Interview with Dr. Webb
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Language is the most powerful invention in the history of humanity.
Language conditions our perceptions and understandings of the world. Language shapes our governments, particularly in written documents like constitutions, laws, policies, etc. Language is used to persuade others and influence actions and behaviors. And language is the primary means through which we conceive of ourselves and communicate that conception.
We need look no further than the dictionary definitions of “black” and “white” and how these words have influenced our attitudes and treatment of people who’ve been given those labels. We see the power of language in the contentions about calling ourselves black, not wanting to call ourselves black, calling other people black with the intent to insult them, and who exactly should/could be labeled as black.
Perhaps I’m overstating the importance of language, as a result of my bias as a writer and English Professor. But I honestly don’t believe I am. That’s why my writing tip this week is as follows.
Writing Tip: Learn to Love Language
I love language (and alliteration!). In fact, language is my love language (haha).
But seriously, this advice is not for people who merely want to be competent writers or merely want to write well enough to get by in school or fulfill the responsibilities of their job.
But if you’re drawn to writing for more intrinsic reasons, deepening your love of language will bring a professional polish to your work. When you love language for the sake of language (as opposed to a necessary means to an end), you relish in finding the precise words to articulate your ideas. You play with the pliability of sentence structure. Find joy in the rhythm and music of prose.
So how might one discover or grow a love for language? I suspect that some of it has to already be part of your nature. For example, I’m a Gemini, ruled by Mercury, the messenger god, the planet of communication. So I couldn’t suppress my love of language even if I wanted to. It’s in my DNA.
Others, though, have developed a love of language because they’ve had several positive, nurturing, affirming, enjoyable, funny, and/or entertaining experiences with it in the past. Fond memories of Uncle Lee’s comedic storytelling. A teacher’s voice reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Reading Nikki Giovanni’s kidnap poem and connecting wordplay with Black love. Tupac (also a Gemini).
If you’re searching for the spark of inspiration that will help you see the magic of language, identify and reflect on those moments in your own life. Sit in the energy of such moments and lean into the yummy feelings they evoke. Rehearse the language. Absorb it on your tongue. Feel it’s texture in your throat. Feel the bulk and weight of it on your diaphragm and in your gut. Let it reverberate in your bones.
But language isn’t always pleasant. Recognizing and understanding the times when language does emotional or social damage is also important. That helps us recognize that language has consequences, which in turn might inspire us to wield it more responsibly. The Weekly Word is directly connected to this.
Weekly Word: Affirmation
An affirmation is a positive statement that confirms or supports an idea.
Affirmations are a necessary part of colorism healing. Many of us have lacked positive affirmation and have instead received insults, language meant to degrade and oppress us. Even if you have never been directly ridiculed as an individual, there is systemic and culture-wide derision of dark skin, coily hair, and broad features.
Affirmations have been a central component of my personal healing. Though some say affirmations did not work for them, there are still many people who find great value in them.
Tips for Using Affirmations:
Try all of these, and hopefully one will work for you or will inspire some other method that works.
write them down (repeatedly)
say them out loud (repeatedly)
post them in highly visible places around your environment
use them daily
use them as needed
carry some with you
google lists of affirmations
create general lists and lists for specific issues
create your own original affirmations
borrow quotes from books, speeches, etc.
put them on t-shirts, jewelry, and other items and apparel
create artwork out of them
rehearse them first thing in the morning
rehearse them before falling asleep
record yourself saying them, then listen to yourself
write poetry inspired by your affirmations
make it your background or screensaver on devices
I hope that some of this is beneficial to you.
Sincerely,
Sarah
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This week’s episode of The Word Wise Webb is inspired by a recent situation in my personal life. I believe I need to understand the lessons that difficult situations are meant to teach me. To do this, I turned to the tried and true practice of journaling.
Writing Tip: Journaling
Journaling is a form of writing that is meant for your eyes only. Rather that striving to communicate with others, journaling is a practice of communicating with yourself. Though you may think to yourself all the time, there are lots of reasons to also write to yourself, even if only periodically.
Writing is a useful tool for thinking because our “working memory” (how much content we can actually keep in our head all at once) is limited. Writing compensates for the limits of working memory by recording thoughts so we can refer to them again later.
Writing also helps to make our thoughts and feelings concrete. The act of articulating my experiences, thoughts, and feelings on paper brings more to my conscious awareness. I often find that as I continue writing, more information comes out. I start to remember additional details. I begin reaching conclusions and articulating truths that feel like epiphanies. Putting all my thoughts and feelings out on the page in front of me helps me see a bigger picture, make connections, and gain clarity on my condition.
I also think about journaling as a form of self-therapy. Just like talking to someone else about your struggles can often help, even just as catharsis or release, journaling can have a similar effect. And it’s convenient, free, and always available (often not the case with talking to other people).
If you’re considering giving journal a try (or another try), it might help to not pressure yourself to do it consistently or regularly. While I try to journal daily or more, there’s no reason you can’t just use journaling as needed. Journaling can be used like a flashlight–an enlightening tool that you pull out when you’re trying to find your way through the dark.
The Weekly Word: Introspection
Since you can easily look up standard definitions of the weekly words, I want to proceed by providing my own explanations and discussions of the Weekly Words.
I’ve identified myself as an introspective person from the moment I learned the definition at some point in my younger years. I think of introspection as:
The act of studying yourself, particularly your behavior, feelings, attitudes, and thoughts/way of thinking.Looking inward.
SLW
I practice introspection when trying to understand what a difficult situation might teach me about myself.
Journaling is a great pathway to introspection.
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Many of us, myself included, would complain that we just can’t seem to find what we’re looking for.
After a recent reminder of “You find what you’re looking for,” it occurred to me that if you say you’re looking for opportunities but you just can’t find any, then maybe it’s because you’re not actually looking for opportunities like you think you are.
Perhaps what you’re actually looking for is excuses, rejection, the thrill of the chase, or an entirely different category of opportunities.
I hear my inner skeptic asking: But why would anyone be looking for rejection?
What I’ve learned through lots of exposure to psychological principals is that we often look for and accept what we think we deserve. Not what we say we deserve, but what we actually believe we deserve when no one is looking. Or what we believe is actually achievable or available or realistic, etc.
If the thing we’re searching for continues to elude us, it’s worth reevaluating whether we’re actually looking for what we think we’re looking for. It’s worth asking if we truly believe we are worthy and deserving of said thing. It’s worth asking if we’re just pretending to search for something because it’s what someone else said we should seek.
As part of my goal to create and share more content in 2020, I am piloting a new series that will be featured on multiple platforms, including YouTube and other social media. The premise of the series is to synthesize or combine my love of literacy, reading, writing, and words (#WordNerd!) with my passion and commitment to colorism healing and other related issues.
In this very first episode, I provide the most foundational writing advice and pick the Weekly Word (randomly selected from my SAT vocabulary flashcard deck, which I bought for a different reason, but find fun and useful for this endeavor as well). Keep reading for the writing tip and Weekly Word.
Writing Tip: Read.
This may be an unexpected writing tip for some. But all writing begins with reading, at least if we’re talking about writing verbal language.
Many of my students say they love to write but don’t enjoy or necessarily make time to read. That’s a problem for a couple of reasons:
For one: Writing is not merely transcribed thought or speech. Writing and speaking and thinking are each very different processes and products, though they appear deceptively similar. For more on this, I recommend John McWhorter’s TED Talk, “Texting is Killing Language. JK!!!”
For that reason, the best way to be a better writer is to study writing. Yes, you can write without reading much. But to really take your skills and craft and dexterity to greater potential, reading is the gateway.
Secondly, there’s what I call a law of reciprocity or the rule of writer’s karma. If you write so that others will read your writing, then there’s good karma in reading other writers’ writings.
Quick Followup Reading Tips
The key to reading more is to read widely until you discover the reading that inspires you to read more.
Another way to read more is to not pressure yourself to finish. Many of us dread the process of reading because the thought of reading “the whole thing” overwhelms. But counter-intuitively, you’ll end up reading more when you give yourself permission to read less.
Weekly Word: Generalization
A generalization is a vague or broad statement based on inference or specific cases.
Colorism of often involves making generalizations about people with similar complexions. Rather than making generalizations, let’s focus on understanding the unique humanity in everyone. Yes, there may be patterns within a groups, community, culture, etc. but rarely do such patterns equate to the whole of who someone is.
While generalizations may be useful at times, they are treacherous when they lead us to pre-judge people that we do not know or when we try to force people we do know into general categories they don’t actually fit into.
I’ve enjoyed this first week of The Word Wise Webb (here on WWW), and I hope you’ve found it interesting enough to get this far. See ya next week for Episode 002!
