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Abibisika (Black Gold) Points When I was around 9 years old I remember desiring to have white skin and European textured hair. I was not dark by Jamaican standards and so I had never been insulted based on my complexion. In Jamaica they called ppl of my hue “browning”…a compliment. However, within myself I still did not feel beautiful enough. I thought my hair was too course. I had a cousin close to my age who was very light skinned and had what Jamaicans call “pretty” hair. It seemed to me that she got all the good attention and her company was sought after. I felt ignored and rejected when I was with her in the company of others.
Fast forward to around age 15-16 years old. I’m now in high school. I took a class called Caribbean History. The history starts before enslavement. We learn about the Malian and Shanghai empires. We learn that Africa had great civilization before the European arrive. That made a great shift in my attitude towards being a negro or descendant of Africans as we referred to ourselves in Jamaica. Direct result of the new information was the termination of my chemically straightening hair routines. I started to appreciate that my hair was stronger, healthier and better smelling without lye products. However, because my hair was thick, dense and medium in length it attracted plenty of suggestions like “Nicole Chambers your hair would be so long and pretty if you creamed it!” Cream/relaxer is what we called the hair straightening lye products. I couldn’t do it…what I now knew about Africa made me feel different about myself. It made be feel proud and beautiful. I wore my hair out, big and high or twisted and loved it. I no longer had any desire to torture my hair and blister my scalp with lye.
Knowing your balanced history cannot be overstated. I wish African Studies was mandatory for black children like Math and English is. It would solve many of the problems we as Africans both continental and in the diaspora face. I feel we are moving in the right direction albeit slowly.
2 Comments
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Abibisika (Black Gold) Points Interesting insights on colorism in Jamaica. I’m glad you got that class to get you straight!
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Abibisika (Black Gold) Points Unfortunately, that class was not mandatory and few students had the benefit of the information I received. So today we many black on the outside but “aspirationally” white on the inside citizens of Jamaica. If want to start a fight with them tell them they are Africans and they me deeply offended. Africans, globally, need our own curriculum to address what we need in our nation.
