OUR STORY
"I am a Negro. I make absolutely no apology for being a Negro."
-Marcus Garvey-
Telling Our Own Stories
Most of what we know about black culture and life is created and told by western media and reinforced through our educational institutions, medical institutions, and our systems of justice. Our stories are fabricated, manufactured, & comodified by a media that we don’t control; media owned by people who don’t look like us; media that creates & reinforces anti-blackness through fictional narratives that serve as justification for our mistreatment; media intent on reducing our identities to a single story. We are not a monolith. We are not your negroes. We come from different countries, continents, socio-economic backgrounds, families, have different opinions and perspectives, and we have vastly different experiences in the world. Every group should own their narrative, it’s full time we own ours. This is Black is a platform to share our stories. We don’t play that respectability politics bullshit around here. Everybody has a story to tell & All forms of Blackness are welcome! Are you Black? What’s your story? Share it here.
ABOUT US
Lexie
Founder/EIC
One of my most treasured memories is going to Cosmo’s on the beach in Negril every Sunday after church. My mom would drive from our home in Little London to Cosmo’s through the Westmoreland countryside for about half an hour. I’d let my hand hang out of the passenger window trying to catch the warm Caribbean breeze as it forcefully pushed back at the palm of my right hand. Once we reached the beach, I’d head straight into the turquoise blue water and I’d only come out on one occasion: to eat my curried lobster with white rice and salad. My mom lounged on the beach while reading or talking to friends & family if we were with others. We’d stay at the beach all day and head home in the evening right in time for Sunday dinner with auntie Lonely or just the two of us at home. Sunday’s were the best; it combined two of the greatest loves of my life 7-mile-beach & good food!
Why I do THIS IS BLACK
In 2016, after giving birth to my daughter, I became hyper aware of how narratives impact our development, what a huge role the media plays in shaping our identities, and how little control black people have over their own stories. They say having a child changes you & having my daughter had a profound impact on me. From the moment of conception I immediately thought about her freedom, happiness, and development. She is now a toddler and I want her to be as free as possible. I don’t want her to be saddled with limitations and suffocating-negative-stereotypes that are imposed on black people growing up in Western societies and/or former colonies. As a result of my concerns, I decided the only way to mitigate the inevitable is to circumvent it and expose her to the beauty, wit, grit, and grace that is the black experience no matter where in the world we are.
I want her to have an experience free from interpretations, misrepresentations, respectability politics, and the ‘single story’ of blackness that we’ve all become so accustomed to. So I created a place where blackness isn’t something to be interpreted, judged, or viewed through a white lens. I created a space where she could simply be exposed to all kinds of black people from different countries, backgrounds, and cultures telling their own individual-stories. I created a space where we could tell our stories in any manner we choose without it being commodified and sanitized because we’re not beholden to advertisers or huge corporations.
I founded This is Black as a space to learn about black people from other black people. We are not a monolith! ThisI is Black is a space to feel comfortable in all of our blackness, no matter what shade, socioeconomic background or country you’re from. It’s a space where a CEO isn’t deserving of more space than a housekeeper or a rich man deserving more respect than a poor one. In his book, Between The World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes,
“You are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable.”
This is Black is a platform where All forms of blackness are welcome. It is a visual & written representation of our diversity and the beauty of our many cultures.
Star
COO
I love to travel and have done so extensively. One of my happiest moments was in Summer 2018 during a trip with my family, including my parents, through Italy, Spain, and France. One day, as we ate gelato in Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia, I was overcome with gratitude for just how far my family had come and was reminded of the depth of God‘s grace.
Why I do THIS IS BLACK
I am generally a left-brained person, but when Lexie approached me with the concept for this project, I did not hesitate to sign up. I was still living in Germany and was feeling a bit anxious about the turmoil and demonstrations in the US over anti-black racism and police violence. Donating to activists and various organizations and making calls to district attorneys offices didn’t feel like enough.
Further, I was noticing a lot of content suggesting that the black experience was one of pain, suffering, and mourning every single day. To me, that seemed off. Obviously our walk is not always easy, but in the words of one of my friends, I know full well that being black is ‘kinda lit.’ So I was more than excited to work on something uplifting, inspiring, and unifying. To create a space where nuance, thoughtfulness, and a sincere appreciation for black people globally could thrive.
“’If there are 40 million black Americans, then there are 40 million ways to be black.”
–Dr Henry Louis Gates Jr-
Myesha
CIO/Wellness Curator
I have cultivated a ritual that allows me to start and end my days with ease. Claiming the power to begin my days pouring into myself before I give myself to the world has created so much peace, balance and joy in my energetic body every single day. My daily practice of meditation, breath work, stretching, yoga, reading, journaling (whichever combination of things my body/mind/spirt needs that day) has expanded my understanding of wellness and the ways I embody health in practical ways.
Why I do THIS IS BLACK
I am excited to be a part of this project because I feel like black people all around the world need more reasons to smile, to be in joy, and to celebrate the beauty that is black people. We all need this!
While collecting stories from the people in my life in preparation for the launch, I was able to tap in to the vibration of joy that we are intending to create. It confirmed for me that this is what I am supposed to be working on right now. It made me smile from the inside out, it filled my heart, it reminded me of the depth of beauty that shines from our people. Despite it all we still shine. Always.
The black experience is ever evolving and we want to create a platform where it’s all welcome and it’s all good. This is a space to find information and inspiration. This is our space. This space is sacred. We are magical beings, and this is our safe place to land when the world feels unsafe, and when we just need a jolt of joy. Welcome, enjoy, and remember to sprinkle the site with some of your magic
“There can be no Black-white unity until there is first some Black unity. There can be no workers' solidarity until there is first some racial solidarity. We cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among ourselves.
— Malcolm X —