Black Is Where The Depth Lies.

Rationally, I know we as a species rank colour because of factors like colonialism, but how would you explain that to a child who thinks her colour makes her ugly?

My dad is a dark-skinned man. If anyone said I looked like my dad, I wouldn't like them, because to a child who grew up hearing she's not fair-skinned enough, this could in no universe be interpreted as a compliment.

As a teenager, I would always feel bad when people made comments about my colour. But the more I heard these comments about my dad, the more I would wonder how he must feel hearing them all. I would wonder if his colour really mattered. I would wonder if his colour actually made him ugly. I would look at him. I would think no. I would wonder if his colour caused any defects in him. I would think not at all. I would wonder how he would look if he was fair. I would think he wouldn't look like my dad. I would think this on a Tuesday, I would think this on a Sunday. And the more it marinated, the more I would realise it's not a bad trait that he needs to fix or change, or an indicator of his character or personality. His colour is just one of his features - like his eyes and nose. And he looks good this way.

My affection for my dad is what led me, as I grew up, to accept, if not forgive, my colour. He would always tell me how beautiful black is. And for the longest time, I would dismiss it because I'd think he only says these things because he's my dad and he's trying to make me feel better.

But you know what? Black 𝘪𝘴 what beauty is. Not because it's better than white. Or because it's more aesthically pleasing. Black is what beauty is because despite its association with all things negative from dirt to death, as an artist, it's what I look for in the prettiest of faces - in its eyelashes, in the depth of its eyes, in the crevices of its lips, and if nothing, in the shadows created by its features.

Black is where the depth lies. Black is where accents begin. Black is what beauty is. And if anyone chooses to tell you otherwise, all you need to do is remember that they can only meet you at the level at which they have met themselves.