In the social climate we live in today, it is necessary now more than ever to grab ahold of positive ideologies that aim to further uplift, embrace, and celebrate blackness. To celebrate black life, more specifically the lives of black women and all that comes with it. For far too long, black bodies have seen more than their fair share of trials and tragedy. From the deplorable images of slaves badly beaten to the disheartening scenes of black girls shot dead and manhandled as a result of police brutality, one can’t help but wonder if our essence, our experiences, if our lives matter. Seeing stories and images from various mass mediums that do nothing but reinforce negative stereotypes only make it harder to showcase what it really looks like to be a black woman in America. 

However, throughout my entire existence, my outlook on life has been pretty positive. I’ve always tried to look on the brighter side of things and generally lean towards the greater good no matter where I go. Some would say and have said that particular outlook is called optimism. By textbook definition, optimism is simply “hopefulness and confidence about the future.” To choose to believe that something better, something beautiful still exists despite what you’re currently seeing or experiencing is a power unlike no other. To choose to celebrate the little victories and revel in the big wins regardless of however many losses you’ve suffered is definitely a force to be reckoned with. To choose to express and embody the love for our innate magic and joy all while facing the threat of death and disdain is truly the spirit of blackness. 

There were times when I viewed my blackness as a hindrance. As something that prevented me from being truly accepted by not just the world but also by my peers.  On the ride home one day, I voiced my disappointment to my beautifully melanated mother to the tone of: “sometimes I wish God had made me light skin”. She glanced at me through the rearview mirror and told me that God had made me in the exact shade he wanted to make me in and that he thinks I’m beautiful because I am made in his image.  A few years later during my sophomore year in high school, those thoughts came back into the forefront. I was being taunted by an upperclassman for whatever reason because of how dark my skin was. “What’s up Tar Baby? Hey Tar Baby, where you going?” In that moment and every moment like it, I was instantly brought back to fourth grade. I could vividly see the front cover and following pages of the infamous book entitled “Brer Rabbit & the Tar Baby”. As those flashbacks came pouring back, I remember asking myself: is that how I really look? Am I really the living, walking, breathing personification of this ugly black thing? At the time, the answers to those questions were yes. I didn’t know how to separate one person’s skewed perception of beauty from my own personal interpretation. I didn’t know that I didn’t have to accept one person’s projection of disdain as my personal mantra.  As convincing as my mother’s words once sounded, a part of me still had trouble seeing what she saw. Growing up in a culture that attributed ugliness, evil and bad with the color black and beautiful, pure, and good with the color white, it made it hard to fully accept what she was saying as a truth. 

It was at times like this where positive reinforcement of what we know to be true was needed. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if #BlackGirlMagic were around during those challenging times. I wonder what additional heights I would have soared on to had #BlackExcellence been a prevalent and prominent entity during the early stages of my progression through education.  I wonder what my self-esteem & self-perception would have been like had I been bombarded earlier in my childhood with continual efforts that celebrate the resilience, brilliance, and innermost beauty that Black girls and women possess. Though I grew up in the era of Oprah and Beyoncé; as a young woman learning how to now navigate through the complexities of race, gender, limitlessness and limitations, I can truly say that these efforts are both necessary and inspiring. It is more than uplifting to my soul when I see other young black women use this hashtag to celebrate their milestones no matter how big or small. This hashtag is more than a trending topic; it is a daily reminder of my beauty, my worth, and my potential. I’m not saying in any way that I am above human or that I am some mystical creature but what I am now saying and asserting every day of my life is that I am worthy of being acknowledged, applauded, and admired. I have finally gotten past the point where I question the motive of my Creator, my intelligence or my value as a majestically melanated black woman. I will revel in the fact that I am able to embrace and celebrate the saturation and warmth of the amount of melanin in my skin.

Because of this hashtag and celebration that follows, my aim is to now embody the audacity of self-love and self-worth. My blackness is not the default setting. It is over 150 descriptive fonts that help bring words to life. My blackness is not the norm. It is the ever necessary challenge to the status quo that helps prevent complacency and forces growth. My blackness is not tasteless. It is the sweet and savory flavor that adds spice to any and everything in the world. My black is a deliberate force. It has its own energy, a vibe that you can’t get just anywhere. It commands attention whether it be for better or for worse, but either way, you can’t help but acknowledge its existence. Its presence is beautiful, a gift in and of itself. 

So to women like Shonda, Ava, Solange, Janelle, Viola, Tracee, and Lupita thank you. Thank you for setting examples and being living proof of our ever-present capabilities. To my Mother, thank you for being my first source of beauty, strength, determination and inspiration. And to the men that love us, to the Kofi’s, Common’s and Jesse Williams' of the world, thank you for being our supporters. And to every black woman no matter how young or old who has yet to come to grips with the innate power that lies within them, may this serve as the new start and compass to finding your magic.