~Black is Beautiful~

 "Dipped in Chocolate, Bronzed in Elegance, Enameled With Grace, Toasted With Beauty, My Lord, She's a Black Woman." 

-Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan

It's a beautiful day to be a Black woman! Happy Black History month y'all. A month of celebrating the beauty, resilience, power, and magic of being Black. It's a month of reinforcing pride in Black people. We matter and we are powerful, despite the hate, racism, and brutality we've experienced in our White hegemonic society. Black women throughout history have been compared to the (White) standard of beauty. We've been told our lips and noses are too big, our hair is too nappy, our skin is too dark. All of the things that make us truly magical, are conceived unattractive. 

I want to discuss the photo above. Janet Collins was the first Black woman to become a ballerina at The Metropolitan Opera in the 1950s. She faced racism along the way of course; a ballet company she auditioned for stated the only way they'd allow her to perform was if she covered herself in white makeup. This photo of her portrays the beauty and elegance of being a Black woman, that many refused to see. It's such a powerful image because it conveys her strength in breaking the color barriers and debuting in all her Black glory. It instills Black pride among Black women. It reminds us (Black women) that despite the negative stereotypes, we are beautiful, graceful, and talented. While simply reading the post would've gave people knowledge of her, the photo truly transmits her strength and beauty. It's so important to not only read Black history and culture, but to SEE it through visual rhetorics; evoking emotion, perspective, and a deeper understanding. That is the only way to truly appreciate and comprehend Black history and its people. 

"I am dripping melanin and honey. I am Black without apology" 

-Upile Chisala