Overcoming Internalized Racism & Celebrating Yourself

Hello! I hope you’re well and having a joyful Juneteenth!

I am taking the day today to celebrate simply being Black. Which is something I was never taught to celebrate. As a biracial kid growing up in a white family in a rural midwestern town in the 80s, having brown skin was a constant cause of confusion and sadness. My mom is blond with pale white skin. I was forever longing for her long, straight hair and blue eyes.

There were zero kids of color at my school. Think about that for a minute. No Asian kids. No Latinx kids. No Black kids. Just me.

With my curls that my mom didn’t know how to tame. And my “weird” Nigerian name. And my brown skin.