The highlight of my day was in class! Travel Photography Class
We had time to research the town we are traveling to this weekend.
As everyone researched monuments and things to see I had a different agenda.
With my passion about photography, culture, natural hair, and Not for profit orgs I think I have a focus for these editorials. Ever since traveling was becoming a reality to my dreams and goals I knew that no matter where I went I wanted to find communities of black people.
Not to anyone’s fault, there are ignorant individuals who think black people only reside in America and Africa and the UK.
What a lot of people don’t want to believe or understand is that we ALL ARE BLACK! Black doesn’t crack literally.
The melanin in our skin is rich. It does not only protect us from the sun but gives us that rich shade of brown. The first civilizations were in the fertile crescent. Trust me… with that blazing sun no one was ghostly white. As time went on and people migrated, landscapes changed, and shifting of the tectonic plates our bodies adapted to new climates. Black people, our people, are amazing creatures (we really are one). Climates got colder and skintones got lighter, less sun means your body doesn’t need as much melanin. Eyes got narrower in some regions. Nostrils got smaller in other regions. And so on and SO ON!
In America black history begins with them depicted as slaves on a boat.
You have to graduate from high school and take a college course on African History or Art to EVER learn that our history precedes slavery. That blacks were royalty. That blacks were samurais and other leaders.
I think that information is understood and appreciated in other parts of the world like Europe and Asia.
Why is it that in the modeling industry black models are adored in Europe, yet they just fill the “quota” in the US?
Why is it that black models are more successful in international ads then the American country they were born in?
Just questions I wonder about… but I DIGRESS!
In all my editorials I hope to discover people of color! Working, living, happy, sad, strong, weak, no matter. I want to know where they live, how they live, where are they from, what do they do! I’m also curious about their values, philosophies, children, family, careers, professions.
Unfortunately I have very little luck finding this type of info online. All I have learned so far is that Afro-French people make up about 2-3.5 million of the French population. I’m excited to learn more about these people and uplift them in my art (not exploit them).
I believe we are beautiful and I want to share that beauty and intelligence to enlighten others.
#squashtheignorance
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