“Black Futures” & Black History Month: A Collaborative Journey
RECAP of Week 3: February 15th – 19th, 2021
“Haters are people who read with no resume and critique with no credentials…
Is that you?”
Don’t let someone tell YOU what Your purpose is. Be it Your mind, body, soul, career, hobby, passion, children, feelings, social media… what is Yours is YOURS. Too often as womxn, especially Black womxn, we allow someone with ZERO credentials to weigh in on the things that ultimately only affect US, not them. While the tone of the passage in “Black Futures” was not as heavy as my own words here, I think it’s concept was to do just that. Creep into your thoughts like the consumable reality culture we blindly (and blissfully) consume. Let those feelings linger there. Asking you: are You the one with no resume that’s throwing shade or are You allowing someone else to shade your light without holding theirs?
The fastest way to ruin any relationship is to not bother learning how to say or spell their name correctly.
As someone with not one, not two but three names (first, middle & last) that are uniquely and non-phonetically spelled, take it from me. Just this week I was at my local pharmacy and when I looked at the screen to review my information before signing, I noticed my name misspelled. I look at the prescription from my doctor. Nope, spelled correctly there. I look up and ask the pharmacist “Before I sign, does it matter that my name is misprinted here?” and without even looking at what I am pointing to or even giving a pause, the pharmacist waves a hand at me “Oh don’t worry, I already corrected it for you!” … Corrected it for ME? No. Their CORRECTION was the misspelling.
Your Name, Your Body, Your Dreams, Your Future…
No one else carries the beauty or the burdens of being You. I’ve come to believe that the female anatomy is like a map. A map that has been carried in the ovaries of every mother that came before us, one that charts out so many parts of who we are… some have made notes, maybe even added a key, but just like any other map, it’s just a guide. We may not get choose which map we have or what’s on it but You definitely get to decide where it takes You.
DC Based Artist & Educator
Corcoran College of Art + Design Alumni
Always painting, usually writing, making a living out of making art; I make my art work.
