The Year of The Mellanin |
Journey Towards Positivity & Self Belief
As we close towards the end of 2019, there is one of my observations that cannot go unnoticed! With the rise of the internet and social media, which has made fame and fortune more accessible, drawing my attention to the undeniable progression and recognition of black and brown skinned people…
Director of Jordan Peele with cinematic hits GET OUT and US.
Lupita Nyong’o star of Black Panther and US and Children’s Author of the book Sulwe.
Halle Bailey cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid live action film, which caused quite a stir.
Lizzo, an advocate of the body positive movement, as well as reaching a peak of fame in the music industry this year, smashing it at the BET Awards with her song Truth Hurts.
Rihanna, launching her Fenty Fashion House this year.
Going viral in the music scene Lil Nas and Blanco Brown both find fame in the Country genre.
Black comedians on IG, with millions of followers such as Jess Moore, Kway (Blameitonkway) and Lalamilan.
Also, Inayah Lamis, who I watched blow up earlier this year as a R’n’B Singer/Rapper also on IG.
Along with top gymnast to date Simon Biles
If you’re not familiar with any of these talented individuals, go check them out! A quick google search will take you straight to them.
And then of course there’s the legendary Oprah, Beyonce and Michelle Obama with her book release earlier this year. Plus, I have always admired the Williams sisters from they first stepped onto the court, who, in my opinion blew up woman’s tennis and made other players advance to their level, especially Serena. Nothing to do with the name share…honest!
Also, in real life, I am noticing more people of colour in higher management and senior positions (finally!) and I can add myself to the list of that, having recently securing Business and Development Manager position in my own company, over more experienced individuals and being the newest member of the team. Yes, I know I’ve mentioned this before! But I’m so God damn proud of myself, I thought I’d say it again, just in case you forgot! haha
2019 for me has certainly been a breath of fresh air…and yes, representation does matter! It matters to see other people of your socioeconomic status succeed, of the same culture inspire others, of the same race smash stereotypes and break through the invisible barrier….
Ok, before anyone thinks this blog is not for them, because they are neither classed as black or brown, you’re absolutely wrong!
Firstly, as a black woman, I tend to stay away from such topics. Odd coming from woman of colour? Well, if I’m going to be completely honest, my reason for this is because, and especially with my journey towards positivity and self-belief and being in my mid 30’s, I like to focus more on, what brings us together as a human race, rather than what separates us. I see divide and conquer techniques used all too frequently in the media and politics, so I feel no need to add to this. However, coming from an angle of celebration, I can get on board with this because, WE can ALL get on board with and celebrate and embrace our differences.
Celebrating and embracing diversity has been engrained into me from my early twenties mainly through working as a Youth Worker. It was part of the ethos of the company I worked for and I thought it’s a great way of looking at our differences. Being able to cater for ALL people by recognising that difference and adapting our service to make it more accessible and to informally educate young people around cultures, other than what they were accustomed to. So, it kind of naturally fell into my values and followed me ever since.
Back to my original point; therefore, you do not need to be a brown or black person to appreciate this post, because it is a firm belief of mine that, you, reading this now, are part of this positive shift and you can further help. Read on to find out how…
I hold a strong belief, being a person new to the discovery of spirituality, that we are all one and share a consciousness, which is responsible for this shift happening. I believe that most of the “fights” that we humans embark on are approached in the wrong way… for example;
The fight against drugs could be – the conquering of addiction
The fight against war could be – Securing human rights for all
The fight against discrimination could be – The Value of inclusivity in society
The fight against cancer could be – The discovery of effective treatment for all
The fight against racism – Celebrating and embracing diversity
Simple, yet effective. The focus is on the solution, rather than the problem. We do this all too much in this world; focus on the problem, rather than the solution. Of course, identifying the problem is indeed important, but throw your attention to the solution and it changes direction in where the energy flows to.
This blog is to say thank you to anyone who has ever, gone against the grain to try and achieve something that others thought was crazy, who have faced their ultimate fear and just been the person that went for it, who cheered other people on regardless of differences, who has ever stuck up for another when they were not there to defend themselves, because it all adds to the collective positive energies that bring a shift or a change to make it their turn to shine!
My question to you is; who’s year can we make it in 2020?
Drop me a comment and tell me who you’re rooting for or tell me of some iconic people of brown or dark skin who have made it in 2019.
Until next time
Serena x
26 thoughts to “The Year Of The Melanin | Journey Towards Positivity & Self Belief”
It is good to see more and more people of color shinning on stages and doing great things! I admire this! I attended a conference earlier this month and I was very good surprised to see a lot more people of color attending.
I’m glad you enjoyed my blog! I love to see all cultures and/or races mingling and getting along! It makes my heart warm and fuzzy!
Hi Serena, thank you for your wonderful post and yes, we should celebrate all this is great about humanity and especially all that we have in common!
Thank you! I love to celebrate people’s triumphs in life!
Thank you for sharing this post on positive self-image and self-belief. Excellent power within!
Thank you for reading my post! Glad you enjoyed it!
I can’t wait to see Halle Bailey as Ariel, I am curious how she will portray the princess.
Me neither! It’s the one I look forward to seeing too! Fab bold move by Disney!
This is so empowering. I love seeing my people accomplish so much, it shows the world how truly powerful we are. This piece inspire me to keep push towards my dream (i’ll get there soon). Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much! This is why I blog! I love to share my thoughts around succeeding and empowering others! You are already there and I’m rooting for you!
Skin complexion is no basis to discriminate people, in fact, most famous and successful people they are brown skin love your topic.
I completely agreed, but unfortunately it happen. Thank you, I enjoyed writing it also.
Thanks for writing this. Positive self image is very important in this world.
Thank you for reading!
Black is just a colour , nothing more than that. Thanks for sharing such a post to encourage people.
You’re spot on! Crazy that people are discriminated against for being different.
Great post! Love how you highlighted some great black people doing some big things. I am especially excited about Halle Bailey being casted for the little mermaid.
Thank you! I’ve received such good feedback and I was a little perturbed about posting it! Glad I did though.
I love reading posts like this. Indeed a good way to uplift more people and create awareness and enhance each and everyones morale.
Thank you! Sooo glad that you enjoyed reading it! I’m all about uplifting people!
thanks for sharing this, I love reading your personal view on this, surely self belief is important to each of us to continue respective life. cheers, siennylovesdrawing
Thank you! It is where it all started for me. Just giving a little energy to believing in yourself, can give you everything you need to continue.
OMG i love this post! I wish i could give starry eyes on my laptop keyboard. I’m so proud of my black people !
AAaaww your comment made me smile 🙂 Thank you lovely!
I am SO excited to see the Little Mermaid remake! I think it’s awesome they cast Halle Bailey
Such powerful message to everyone. It’s not about the color of the skin but what’s the color of our hearts.