Hi everyone –
I wanted to introduce a friend of mine from American University. Her name is Tania Smith. She grew up in Haiti and was someone I always admired in classes at American… I always say her as sophisticated and so insightful. I admired her further after following her ever since on Facebook… Everything she posts feels intentional and makes me sit up and pay attention. So when I saw she was starting a blog, let alone about her experiences as a Black woman, I got SO EXCITED. I know many of you, like me, are looking for ways to better understand the Black experience from the outside looking in… Well Tania, is letting us into her heart here you guys. She doesn’t have to, but she shares her experiences in 500 words or less, piece by piece, on her blog. She tells us how she really feels about what she goes through. She is being vulnerable. She is giving the world little insights into what Black women face on the day to day from pop culture, to rape culture, to career challenges, and much more. I hope you guys will subscribe to her blog (LINKED HERE) and follow her on instagram (LINKED HERE) but most importantly – hear her. Here is a snippet from her blog and you can also listen to my interview of her on our podcast in a BONUS episode going live TODAY. Here is Tania:
I often wonder if the color yellow was made for dark brown skin; the way the color accentuates the shiny smoothness and radiance of our complexion is something to behold.
As a Black girl, especially a dark-skinned black girl, it is revolutionary to love the skin you’re in, especially when its beauty is rarely affirmed. Historically, our bodies have served as fodder for cruel, racist entertainment. In the United States, Blackness has never been seen as a measurable standard of beauty by the majority culture (unless they’re appropriating it).
I learned the value of Blackness growing up in Haiti. There, having Black skin was the norm. It reflected in the leaders, artists, educators, and revolutionaries, who looked just like me. The pride my family and others around me expressed in their melanin and their linkage to the Africans brought to the island in bondage, who then freed themselves in a rebellion that created the first free Black country in the world, cannot be denied. But like many formerly colonized countries, Haiti deals with colorism issues, where having lighter skin is valued over darker skin.
Even as I was inundated with imagery that amplified Blackness, my everyday interactions as a young girl did not always reflect that. I went to a private school where the girls with lighter skin and “better hair” were more attractive and popular. Socio-economic class tensions also played a factor. Throughout grade school, I saw subtle reminders that I wasn’t valued in the differences in treatment that kids with lighter skin and more wealth received over kids with darker skin who had less or were deemed to have less.
As a Black woman in my late twenties, I value these moments as a necessary part of the journey to loving myself. To think I could have deprived myself of appreciating a skin so majestic that it captures sunlight! My beautiful dark-skinned tone reflects the color of the earth my ancestors tilled and fought courageously to defend. I refuse to be ashamed of it or the kinks in my hair.
In 2020, brown skin girls are finally getting their flowers. We are being reflected more on the big screen. There’s an influx of influencers who embrace their dark skin proudly. Every day, more Black women choose to value, love, and uplift themselves with no apologies.
When Beyoncé came out with Brown Skin Girls, I watched the video and could not stop tearing up. This was the video I needed to see as a young Black girl. I’m delighted that little Black girls growing up have this breathtaking visual reminder that they’re valuable and matter.
This, in part, is what inspired me to start my blog, Musings of a Millennial Black Girl. I noticed how voices like mine are not magnified in the blogging world. Black women’s trends and ideas are often appropriated and used to benefit the majority culture without proper credit. As a millennial Black woman of American and Caribbean heritage, I want to create a space to get my ideas out to the world. My goal in becoming a blogger is to share my personal experiences navigating this world in my identity and in my skin. I want to create more awareness around issues that affect women, especially Black women, and humans in general. And I want to help build a meaningful community. Most importantly, however, I want to make sure that people understand that Black stories and perspectives matter and should be valued.
This is an extended excerpt from the post: Brown Skin Girls
WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW TANIA:
Her blog: https://musingsofamillennialblackgirl.com/
Her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musingsofamillennialblackgirl/