Titus
“Growing up, I hated every aspect of my blackness. My big nose, fat lips, coarse hair, chocolate skin. I was one of the few black kids at an all white school, so my race constantly set me apart from the other students and there was never a moment I didn’t feel different. People would touch my hair without asking, crack tired and overused black jokes, make fun of my big nose, and commit other microaggressions without even knowing the damage they were doing to my already nearly erased black identity. Between that and the occasional outright blatant racism, there was no way I could have possibly developed a natural love for my blackness. Falling in love with my black skin took time and work. Engaging with my people and community, making up for the extreme lack of African American history taught in my school, unlearning stereotypes and prejudices I had adopted from grade school, and waking up to the injustices that happen to black people and other People of Color in America. Today, I love everything about my blackness, I can’t get enough of it. My big nose, fat lips, coarse hair, and chocolate skin I wouldn’t change a thing about any of them. I may not know what it’s like to grow up loving the color of your skin but today, at 24, I can finally say I love being black!”
© J.Chong Photography (Las Vegas Photographer)
