“Oh I don’t see color… ”
Please for the love of god STOP SAYING THAT! YOU DO SEE COLOR!!!! You’re supposed to, as per direct orders from the universe! Diversity is intentional, magical, natural and necessary.
Our issues are *not* color; it’s the minute someone decides the tulip is better than any other flower, all lilies are inferior, every hydrangea is unworthy, or roses are only fit to be 1/3 of a flower. even tho you didn’t make up these very real, stupid human lies, if you don’t actively fight them, you become part of the problem.
Imagine looking at nature: flowers, birds etc. & saying you don’t see color. See how silly that sounds? Instead, tell the world how vital, beautiful & equal we ALL are in our own natural state.
Not equal in size, color, or stature; equal in our right to flourish anywhere; to share resources; to reach our full potential; to contribute, invent, make mistakes, make discoveries & seek out the same love, joy & promise of life that you do.
You’re intelligent, gorgeous, & necessary in the grand scheme of things and so are we, just the way we were born: African, Latina, Native, Asian, woman, LGBT, differently-abled, whatever. There is no debating that, no ranking, no caste system allowed. Period.
SEE COLOR! CELEBRATE DIVERSITY. HELP END RACISM and every other ugly ‘ism that walks in along with it.
Ghana Imani (Hylton) is a writer & poet who honed her spoken word skills in the Brooklyn poetry scene and became a featured artist at the Brooklyn Tea Party, Nuyorican Poets Café, The Point, African Globe Studio Theater and other spoken word venues. She shared the stage with The Vibe Khameleons, RhaGoddess, Tantra, UNIVERSES, Mariposa and others. She has done voice-overs for national ads such as Sprite and Hot.97. Her most recent essay can be found in We Got Issues! A Young Woman’s Guide to A Bold, Courageous and Empowered Life. She was recently quoted in The Cover That Time Forgot in the Root.com online magazine. She’s volunteered at a number of non-profits over the years: She is a member of the MFEE (Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence) volunteer team. She led the #SayHerName Creative Writing & Poetry for Youth creative writing and poetry cipher in Newark NJ for young girls aged 12-17. Ghana uses her various skillsets to pursue passions in social justice, writing, education, women’s empowerment, and addressing the intersectionality of racism, sexism and other forms of oppression. She returned to her hometown of Montclair after living for 20 years in Brooklyn NY with her music teacher husband and their three children.
