My childhood was a blessed one in many ways, but it wasn’t completely plain-sailing. I went to three different primary schools, where I dealt with various obstacles - some of which included dealing with alienation, struggling to settle into a non multicultural environment, and constantly getting belittled by a racist school teacher. During my time at secondary school, I faced remarks and comments that were highly racist and stereotypical. Examples of this included ‘Joel, you’re black, you’re supposed to be fast’ and ‘Joel, you can’t swim, you’re black’. It took me a while to brush up the courage to speak up and address how I truly felt because I felt so uncomfortable and was riddled with fear and anxiety. Once I spoke up, the remarks stopped. But the damage was done, my confidence and self esteem were at an all-time low and I no longer felt ‘qualified’ or ‘eligible’ to be black as a result.
University helped me to accept my ethnicity and skin colour because of the supportive network of friends I had around me. I was thriving because I was in an atmosphere that boasted multiculturalism and inclusion regardless of race and/or gender.I had spent years thinking that being black was a hindrance; that being black was a crutch and that my life would be more privileged if I was white. But university helped change those negative viewpoints. Now, I am finally at peace with my identity and I no longer feel ashamed to be black. I came up with ‘Colour of Beauty’ because I believe that, as a society, we need to start celebrating each other’s ethnicities instead of discriminating and hating on one another. I believe strongly in the power of unity especially when it involves highlighting key socio political issues such as race. This is why I felt it was essential to create this project. The aim behind Colour of Beauty is to bring people together from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities and celebrate each individual’s upbringing.
With this project, I want to emphasise that every skin colour is beautiful and glamorous, that everyone should be proud of their background, and that every culture is unique and diverse. I think a project like this is relevant now more than ever. Why? There has never been more of a cultural divide as a result of the ongoing conflict surrounding Brexit and shrouding our political landscape in uncertainty. Therefore, as a society, we’ve forgotten how to appreciate and treasure diversity within culture and nationality. As black people, we’ve come a long way since the decades of oppression and struggle that almost destroyed us. But, there’s still a long way to go. There are still many ignorant people who see my skin colour and suddenly I fall prejudice to the stereotypes and connotations that have long haunted black people. The media paints all young black men as nothing but violent thugs. We’re so much more than that. We’re entrepreneurs, creatives, playwrights, directors, actors, musicians, artists. We’re HUMAN just like everyone else. So for me, Colour of Beauty is essential because it represents not only black people but all those with different ethnicities and backgrounds. It’s a celebration of race and culture. I hope that by creating such a project as this, I can help others to heal from any rejection or pain they’ve felt from others casting shame on their skin colour and help nurture others to embrace their identity in an ever-changing, cruel world.
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