I have a confession: when I was younger, I truthfully didn't want to be black. I wanted to be a cute, little white girl like most of my friends at the time. I saw how they were treated differently then me, even as children. I wanted that -- because I didn't have that before.
It wasn't until about high school where I really started to love my skin color. I saw so many African American women doing amazing things in the media, entertainment and politics (I'm looking at you, Michelle Obama and Condoleeza Rice). Because of this, I realized that I was truly blessed to have this amazing, melanin skin color and equally beautiful women in my family sporting the same qualities as me.
1. Our Hair
Let's talk about the uniqueness that is black hair! We've got wavy, curly, coily/kinky and so many combinations in between. Plus, we can do so many cute things with our hair. We can add in weave and get long, flowing hair, or get braids. We can get dreads (which I have some beautiful family members who rock these as if it was their job). We can get cornrows (and no, the Kardashian's actually did not create them according to popular belief). Or you can let your hair down naturally, which is absolutely beautiful. I wish I had the courage to do it.
2. Dancing
I can't tell you how many white friends I had while growing up who would constantly ask me to teach them how to do the dance that was currently in. I definitely don't feel offended by it anymore. I may not do it all that great, but if there's a dance that's in, you better know that I'm going to know exactly how to do it, what songs are best with it, and everything in between. It's simple that so many of us (more or so in the millennial generation) know all the hot songs and dances out. And plus, we came out with so many other dances too, that everyone still loves to this day. In example, The Wop, The Running Man, The Twist and yes, even The Carlton. We created all of those.
3. Our Skin
This is an obvious one, but it sets us apart from so many others. We come in so many beautiful skin tones that many can't duplicate in a tanning bed (sorry, not sorry). Most of our clothes go along with our skin color and don't clash, so we don't have to worry about "not being tan enough to wear white." We already got it covered. Unfortunately, there are so many makeup brands that don't keep our large variety of skin colors in mind, and it makes it pretty hard to go into Sephora, pick up a foundation, and leave. We need to test out just about everyone to see if it matches. It's a pain, but no one said that beauty was an easy task to come by.
4. Our Resilience
We laugh in the face of hate and despair and come back with more than you'll ever know. We already know that Black people have went through it -- and we still are. But we're not letting that stop us! There's so many of us that are just barely making it, working paycheck to paycheck, but we're not quitters. We don't give up easily and we take on the challenge of trying even harder. Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Maxine Waters, Nina Simone -- all powerful black women that went through the hate and the disparity that is being a person of color and turned it into beauty. I don't know many other people who can do such things.
5. Our Grace
You know that term "black don't crack"? Yeah, we're telling you the truth. I know so many black women personally who when they tell you how old they are, you look at them in complete disbelief because they look so much more younger! My mother, grandmother, and aunt are perfect examples. They're making your 40's, 50's, and 60's look like the next 30! I just want to know how Diana Ross, Chaka Khan and Janet Jackson still look that young, it's incredible. You can not beat a black woman's beauty. Get out of here with those beauty standards because they aren't real in our book.
We've got some of the most amazing qualities and it's so important to let that younger generation know that. Don't let that little black girl who was my age absolutely hate her skin color and want to be someone lighter. All shades of our skin are absolutely beautiful and it's time that we praised that about ourselves.
