This video is heavily related to today's post. It's very motivational, so I hope you guys like it. :)))
I often think about a Malcolm X speech where he says, “Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin?” I think about it way more than I should, not because I despise it, but because it means so much to me. I can’t speak for anybody, but I can speak for myself; I had to learn to love myself in the mirror. I grew up forced to get relaxers in my hair, never even knowing my natural texture until I turned 16…I might open that can of worms another day. I also grew up around a lot of people who had internalized racism and never unlearned it; I had to distance myself from people like that.
When I started my loc journey, I learned to love myself fully. I was forced to look at my hair and my features, realizing two things: One, I couldn’t hide how I looked anymore, and two, I couldn’t change what I was looking at. My hair had been hidden - or altered - for the majority of my life. So, to finally look at me was something I didn’t know I needed. It took a long time, but I slowly started learning to love every part of me. Not to mention, there were online communities I joined, where I saw and connected with other Black people who were confident in themselves. That’s another thing I wanted to talk about; there’s a certain - and unspoken - level of community that’s tied into being Black. That’s when I realized something: to be Black is to be loved. To be Black is to love yourself regardless of what other people tell you and regardless of who tries to make you hate what you see every day.
Honestly, that’s what keeps bringing me back to this lecture. I think it’s something a lot of us need to hear. Actually, I wish I heard this when I was a little girl. However, as messed up as it was, I’m glad my journey happened when it did; I still learned to love regardless. I love my curls. I love my skin. I love all of my features. I love being Black in general. I love the things we create. I love the way we uplift each other. I love how beautiful we are. I don’t know about y’all, but seeing people love themselves makes me want to love myself also. To be Black is to be everything…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- P.S. PLEASE watch the Malcolm X movie from 1992! It’s a nice watch lol.
☆ BONUS MATERIAL (FOR FUN :) ☆
While writing this entry, I was reminded of Fred Hampton when he was talking about race and solidarity. I felt the themes were similar to what I was talking about, so I included the video. I hope you guys like this too. Thanks for reading! (o´▽`o)
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