Written by: Diana Metz
My Blackness is beautiful
AfroDominicana with a bloodline that traces directly to Haiti & the Congo
My hair may not fall to my shoulders when I wake up in the morning
Simply because it is gravitating toward the Universe
I may be prieta, morena, negra
But I refuse to let your postcolonial stains destroy my identity
I acknowledge my African ancestry every day,
As I carry my santos around my neck and scream “MAFEREFUN!!!” to my protectors as I stare to the skies above
My Blackness is no longer a burden
I refuse to let anyone tell me “un desrizado es necesario para ese pelo”
I will not accept your remarks about my melanin
My skin absorbs all the vitamins and energies the sun and moon offer
No soy loca por no comer puerco y carne
No soy estúpida por no querer vivir en un país que no me aceptas
… y en realidad, a ti tampoco.
Mi experiencias y las tuyas no son los mismos
Y aunque quiero regresar a mi tierra, estoy consciente que esto esterotipos siguen
Mi negritud es una bendición
No es un agobio ni una maldicion
Y respeto a mis ancestros que me protejen
Soy una negra poderosa con sangre de todos los esclavos africanos
Con un ritmo y un baile generado de los tambores y claves
My marks of Blackness are quite apparent
And though you may hypersexualize my presence, and consider me less…
I am aware that I will dominate any space when I fully manifest
Not solely because of my skin, but because of the light that radiates from my being
My Blackness is beautiful. And yours is too.
Mi negritud es bella. Y la tuya, tambien.
Diana Metz, an AfroDominican writer, sister, daughter, student and high priestess. Born and raised in Washington Heights, New York, she uses her experiences in Santeria, spirituality and african identity in her work.
