itsmultifaceted-blog

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

empire.

I LOVE EMPIRE!!!!!!!

(season 4 is back T O N I G H T).

Words can't express my appreciation for this show. I love it. It is just one of those shows that make me excited and happy (because it's really hard for me to get into shows.)

        Anyways, LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT, IF YA DON’T KNOW!!

Empire is a fictional hip-hop label that is run by Lucious and Cookie Lyon. 

Their humble beginnings began in on the north side of Philadelphia where it is poverty-stricken. Lucious’ passion for music is so deep that he and Cookie are committed to making it big in the music industry by any means necessary. They ultimately drug deal and Cookie takes the fall for Lucious and goes to prison for 17 years. 

The show is circulated around her return from prison and her and her husband running their hip-hop label empire with their three sons Andre, Jamal and Hakeem.

        What I think groundbreaking about this show is that they tackle issues such as mental illness, which is not commonly discussed in the black community or black media. Andre, the eldest son suffers from bipolar disorder. Lucious and Cookie are very ignorant and clueless in regards to his illness. While Cookie is more willing to learn and accept his son, Lucious is incredibly judgmental, harsh, and almost contemptuous towards his son due to an illness that he obviously cannot control.

Lucious' ignorance, however, comes from a place of fear, as his own mother struggles with bipolar disorder. While Lucious is the worst father and human being in the world I can relate to him and his struggles with his mother. Lucious lies about his mother being dead, he has a fear of his mother potentially hurting him and it is very evident that Lucius struggles with attachment. This is evident in the way he fathers his sons. 

        AND ON TOP OF THAT, Jamal, the middle son is a singer under the label. He faces a lot of trials such as taking a bullet for his father, which resulted in him suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which resulted in him abusing opiates and painkillers. 

PTSD, which is very much a real thing in the black community (especially in areas where these individuals live in violent areas, witness a lot of crime, domestic violence and experience trauma as a result). It is not talked about enough. It is not recognized as a valid illness. It is often not combatted with the tools and medicine that is needed. 

Similarly, black families that are spiritual often expect themselves or their children to either just trust God and pray in order to cope with the trauma and difficulties they have experienced. While spirituality is wonderful - while God is very real - action is important too. 

This might include medication.  This might include counselling - finding a professional to talk about these things... 

Whatever it may be, professional intervention is very advisable. 

I thought that it was wonderful that the show decided to talk about these issues surrounding mental health, and I really hope that it will educate families. I hope it makes them take mental illness seriously. I don't know why it's not talked about the black community as much as it should be... It could be because a black community is often associated with spirituality and spirituality and mental illness can sometimes clash in regards to pathology.

Furthermore, there is a lot of shame and stigma associated with mental illness - often putting the person who is suffering from it at fault... but black children are really suffering from the ignorance that their parents continue to exercise.  I think the show deserves a lot of kudos for what they do.

I’ve seen how depression and PTSD have affected people very close to me. These individuals do not associate with the illnesses at all, and there is the shame, disgust and disregard towards them. Furthermore, these individuals choose to unhealthily self-medicate as a result. It doesn't help that the parents of these individuals are very clueless about mental illness, and have transferred the negative mentality behind it towards their children.

It is just refreshing to see people from my community being represented in media. It helps to see other black people struggle with mental illness on TV. It helps to see that their family members deal with it awfully - just like ours, lol. It is important to see how we cope with those struggles as a result of our family’s ignorance (like substance abuse) because it's very different from mainstream media. It's very different from mainstream actors that are normally depicted on television

Personally for ME, If Lucious - who is the evilest and most ruthless character on TV is affected by his tiny little mother and her mental illness -  then it's OK that I am affected by mental illness, too.

And that is healing for me. It normalizes and validates my feelings. I think it can be healing for others as well.

So, YOU GO EMPIRE. 

Keep doing what you do. Hopefully season 4 is bomb. 

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

my hair defies gravity and grows towards the sun, so why am I being asked how long it is as if it grew down? is that even a fair question? what if I asked straight haired folks how big their hair got? would that be fair?

Nana Boahen, thinkingoutloud16.weebly.com 

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

hip-hop & mental health.

HIP-HOP! 

a music genre developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans in the 1970s, accompanied by rapping over a rhythmic beat. 

It is a relatively newer genre of music that is adored by masses (since it is currently the most listened to genre in U.S history... https://www.vibe.com/2017/07/hip-hop-popular-genre-nielsen-music/) 

BUT - it is also one that stirs up controversy, ill-feelings, and contempt for its lyrical content. 

I myself have been influenced by hip-hop from a pretty young age. Growing up with brothers, it is how I felt connected to them - and it is still how I feel connected to them. It’s a part of African-American culture that has caused division and unity, a sense of pride, awareness of important topics amongst the African-American community... as aforementioned, it is a newer but very influential genre of music. 

       In my experience, (which I recognize is limited), I’ve noticed that first generation Ghanaian-Canadians who are male have a harder time connecting with the Ghanaian culture than females. This may not be true, but it’s an observation I have made. While I was pretty accepting of both Canadian and Ghanaian culture, it appeared that my brothers connected more to the African-American male subculture. They could relate to the aggression expressed in the hip-hop’s lyrics, they found appeal in the lavish lifestyles/rags to riches success that was commonly displayed, and the difficulties in expressing emotional vulnerabilities, masked by all of the aforementioned factors.

       As for myself, I have always just enjoyed the beat of the music. Again, because I am rather emotional and vulnerable, this is was really my only connecting point to my brothers. However, the older I get, the more I’ve become more cognizant of how much mental illness is expressed and almost disguised in hip-hop. Behind the upbeat tempo, the overly sexualized women in the videos… it’s very easy to miss their cries for help. Hip-hop is scrutinized for its misogynistic and violent lyrics (which I do not deny or condone). However, it should be known that the vast majority of these artists who rap such content:

*Had an incredibly difficult upbringing (struggling with poverty, institutional racism, neglect, poor housing and schooling)

*Surrounded by violence (gang crime, domestic violence, prostitution, pimps, drug abuse and trafficking).  

*Grew up without a father (which is very challenging.) Or their father figures were violent, inconsistent or emotionally detached.

Try looking up a few of the prevalent hip-hop artists that you are aware of. Chances are, that they might’ve grown up with such circumstances.

OF COURSE, NOT ALL OF THEM, but most.

Essentially, what they rap about is what they know. It’s all that they’ve ever known.

Now - take the ones who grew up in a “normal” or even wonderful household. This does not take away from the fact that the way black men are (and continue to be) portrayed in the media is often thugs, gangsters, drug dealers, aggressive, nonemotional.

Below is an interview with an older rapper from back in the day (Styles P), with his wife. He discusses the suicide of his daughter, and how she struggled growing up without a biological father. Styles himself notes the difficulty of growing up without his father, too. 

From 25:33-27:52

In watching that, imagine the pain one would feel without ANY father figures.

A LOT of these rappers grew up this way. 

        As I had mentioned, the way black men are consistently portrayed in the media is emotionless and aggressive. In reality, they are expressing themselves the only way they know how and wish to.

Now I find myself listening to these lyrics, and I have become very concerned for the artists and their mental well-being. I wonder almost.. what is our role as consumers of this music? When we hear these artists saying they're “not afraid to die”, and that they are suicidal, and we are blasting it in our cars and at parties and almost ignoring their cries for help? I don’t know. It’s becoming unsettling for me. Below are a few lyrics of popular hip-hop songs at the moment:

I'm in pain, wanna put 10 shots in my brain I've been trippin' 'bout some things, can't change Suicidal, same time I'm tame  XXXTentacion - Jocelyn Flores 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two cups, toast up with the gang <- <i>(reference to lean... the leisure consumption of cough syrup and codeine)  From food stamps to a whole 'nother domain Out the bottom, I'm the livin' proof   ... My guillotine drank promethazine <- <i>(cough syrup drank for leisure. Essentially, he admits it’ll be the death of him.) TEC and beams, go to those extremes  Future - Mask Off 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I Feel Like That - Kanye West The. Entire. Song. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skreets raised me, I'm a whole bastard I bought a 'Rari just so I can go faster  21 Savage - Bank Account 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I might blow my brain out Xanny, help the pain, yeah < - (Xanax, anti-anxiety medication) Please, Xanny, make it go away I'm committed, not addicted, but it keep control of me All the pain, now I can't feel it I swear that it's slowin' me  Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3   

Not only do I worry about these artists, but I also worry about the black men (and really, any individual) who are close to me who only listen to this music, and this music ALONE, as I know they're struggling with their mental health as well. I do believe that the content you put into yourself is essentially what you will put back out into this world - whether we recognize it or not, it ultimately manifests in our actions and how we perceive the world.

While people can be listening to this music without necessarily struggling with their mental health, there are people who do. I think it’s important to recognize those who are struggling. 

How? Well.......

As individuals who care for the well-being of other individuals, (particularly our impressionable young people who listen to these artists), I think it’d be a good idea to familiarize ourselves with upcoming artists with growing popularity amongst youth.

This shouldn’t be done for the purpose of being able to relate to them, and gear them away towards that music - that is ultimately their choice. But rather...…well.... for example; I started to pay attention to the music that a young person I know, who was gravitating towards. A lot of its content talked about abusing Xanax and drinking codeine. It was through that that I discovered he was experimenting with those drugs, too.  I know that he is someone who has trouble expressing himself emotionally, and how he did it was through the music he listens to. 

~ Honestly I feel like this post is all over the place... this has been a growing concern of mine and I just have so much I want to say about it .... but I guess essentially, what I’m trying to say is: ~ 

For consumers of this music - be careful! Trap beats are infectious and poppin’... trust me, I know. I am guilty of obsessing over them... buuuut what we put in is what we put out. This is fact. 

For the binge consumers of this music - I hope you are able to find someone to confide in, in regards to the negative feelings that you have. Even if it is just showing someone what your favourite songs/lyrics are. There is help. There is hope. I am here to listen. 

For those who may have nothing to do with the music, but care how it is affecting people - Again, don’t necessarily think every black boy (or individual of any sort) listening to this music is troubled... take time to invest into the lives of young people... even if it’s regularly greeting them, or treating them to a McDonald’s gift card or something - small gestures can sometimes have great magnitudes in one’s life. Show warmth, show care, dedicate random acts of kindness (consistently!!!!!!!!) to a young person. These are different times, and they are facing a l o t of pressure.  

For the loathers of hip-hop - I hope that this post has given a bit of insight into the lyrical content, and why it’s not the most flattering. Again, I’m not trying to make excuses for the misogyny and heavily violent content...but at the same time, recognize that this genre is NOT just that. These too, are hurting people, who are expressing themselves the only way that they can. 

- danielle. 

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

tales for ya headtop.

These pictures span from 2009-2017; from 14 years to 21 years old. With each picture I took (excluding the last), I always feared someone seeing them. I’d delete them off of my phone really quickly and hoped that no one would peer over my shoulder and see it on my computer screen. I’m happy to say that I am 1000x more positive and kinder towards myself in regards to my hair. I still have ways to go, but I am on my way.

Like most black girls, I was aggressively teased for wearing braids and weaves all the time. You couldn’t catch me without ‘em. I was always shamed for not having any real hair and always having to cover it with “horse hair” or “party streamers” (I had super shiny synthetic hair for braids once...it wasn’t cute). Mixed girls were praised for their long, curly soft locks, while I was constantly humiliated. They had GOOD hair...meaning, mine was bad? This of course, is reflective of the dominant beauty paradigm which praises anything closest to European features (Tate, 2007).

People even associate black hair in regards to DOMINANCE in a negative way - specifically in the workplace (Opie and Phillips, 2015). It’s literally how our hair strands comes out of our heads...

Consequently though, I continued to be made fun of for conforming to the Eurocentric standards of beauty when I wore these weaves and even now, wigs. The standards that told me that I was ugly with my coarse, “nappy” hair that defied gravity. I couldn't win. 

I’m not just speaking for myself, either.

In the news, there are stories about young black girls being punished (typically in a school setting) for wearing how their hair NATURALLY grows out of their head. Don’t believe me?

LOOK. --> http://people.com/bodies/kentucky-high-school-lifts-ban-on-natural-black-hairstyles/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jack-astors-hair-1.3484037

&

https://qz.com/768877/a-south-african-high-school-has-banned-girls-from-afros-and-natural-hairstyles-because-they-are-untidy/

Even in South Africa, folks.

I had no idea how to take care of my hair. (I still don't, if I'm going to be honest!) I grew up without my mother, so my dad and I just guessed. I’d perm it here and there when I felt it was too tough to comb (pictures 1-3) and experienced regular breakage because of it lol. While I actively tried to embrace my natural hair and transitioned from perm to natural, it was a struggle.

“Always deep condition every other Tuesday”  “Make sure it’s paraben/sulphate free”  “Coconut oil is LIFE”  “castor oil”  Beauty videos that NEVER showed my hair type or length... it was so hard keeping up with how to take care of it! I was losing reasons as to why I should even accept myself.

So one day, I just cut it all off! (It was an emotionally heightened time, but regardless, I did the deed).

And it’s okay! I don't fear if it doesn’t come back again. And I don't fear to reveal to the world that this is what it looks like under my wig. Will I step outside my house with it? ....Nah, I’m good lol. I still have ways to go on the confidence aspect. But again, I’m working on it. 

I’m not saying all of those hair treatment regimens are bad, either. I’m not saying perming is bad - not at all. I will just not strive for long growing hair anymore. I don't want it that bad enough lol, and I will not let these standards pressure me to. I’ll continue to moisturize and wash and all that good stuff. But that last picture is me.

And I’m cool.

But I still like wigs. And that’s cool, too!

- danielle.

~Side note~: non-people of colour must understand that just because our hair grows differently than the traditional Eurocentric style, does not give you a reason or leeway to TOUCH OUR HAIR, or even ask to. It perpetuates the idea that our hair is not normal, and is therefore a microaggression.

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

The Ghana Saga / Revealed.

LONG POST* you’ve been warned :). 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 12th, 2016, I travelled to Ghana with Projects Abroad for my internship for the Child and Youth program at Humber. I was there for 14 weeks and spent my time at an orphanage/school called Trinity Home Academy, working with pre-school kindergarten aged children. I had a strong desire to go to Ghana because since I had begun college, I had a secret hope to one day work in Ghana with their children, and implement a care system there (for orphans, children who lacked care) after I graduated. I was hoping that with this experience, it would open my eyes to my future work field, and give me ideas as to how I would go about it.

It was not what I expected.  At all. It was hard. It was challenging. But not because of the work necessarily - but how I was treated. And having my eyes opened to some ugly, unfortunate truths. 

Coming back home after 91 days, what I found most challenging was responding to everyone’s “So.....how was it?!” questions. It’s funny, because just before I went, I had a friend who travelled to Thailand for 4 months and explained how coming back was slightly odd, to see how everyone had moved on, while she had this amazing experience. I have another friend who lived in New Zealand for an entire YEAR at 16, and she explained a similar struggle - of coming back to everything being the exact same while she was this completely different person. While I feared this for myself, this was far from my actual reality. I have great (but also problematic) defence mechanisms that help to prevent me from feeling sad or “left out” I guess... but coming back, I wanted everyone to forget as though I had even gone. I didn’t want people to ask about it, I just wanted to seamlessly come back, with my experiences muted in the back of my mind. 

I guess I should start describing what I was anticipating for the trip, I suppose. To begin, I was super anxious. I had never traveled this far, yet alone by myself. I had never been away for so long. I had no idea what to expect and I had low, low confidence in my ability to make effective change. However, I was really hoping that I would be going to Ghana with the advantage that I’m first generation Ghanaian, and that would make me relatable. I knew that I was going there humbled - I wasn’t going there to save lives and have this incredible life changing experience... I was going to help. I was going to be an extra set of hands. I was going to learn more of where my parents grew up; my background, more of another culture I was raised by, and the Ghanaians would be giving me more than I could ever give them. 

When I had arrived, naturally, I felt pretty welcomed. I was living in the Akuapem Region, in a small town called Mamfe. My host family was initially very friendly. The Project’s Abroad staff; also friendly. Once I set foot into the school I was working in, I was shocked at the lack of structure and overwhelmed with how I alone was going to make much of a difference. (Regardless of this, highly commendable school, since the headmistress had opened it in an area that is difficult to access school otherwise. HUGE kudos to her). Moving forward, there were a bunch of 3-5-year-olds running around, and even a couple of 1-year-olds hanging out. Me being the novelty volunteer that the children get every now and then, so that caught their attention and their obedience. For a short. Time. 

Moving forward though, the novelty that I had was a lot different from what the other volunteers had to offer. It took me a few weeks to realize that. And what had set me apart from a majority of the volunteers was that I was not white. The children and even a few adults had a hard time understanding what I was. I looked like them, but sounded nothing like them. I didn’t walk like them, I didn’t dress like them, I didn’t have their mannerisms. So while I was not Ghanaian... I wasn’t white either. So really, I quickly became nothing: to both the children and even teachers. While I was at the school for 40 hours a week, I steadily declined from novelty to for lack of a better word, lackey. My efforts - even extended efforts were grossly overlooked and even expected at times. This was not the same for my white counterpart. And my days looked a lot different when she was not around.

In regards to the staff, (with exclusion to one I made friends with), they all would disregard my presence, unless my friend and co-volunteer from Denmark were around. All of a sudden, I was visible. It became hurtful, and hard not to take personally. The kids never really listened to no one other than their teachers (which is understandable, they are of the same culture and they would hold more trust in them than these revolving strangers), but what became hurtful was when I actively advocated for these kids and I still received loads of disrespect. I know they’re young, but I still had felt very hurt. 

When I was outside of the school, I had similar reactions from locals. Taxi drivers wouldn’t look twice at me until they heard my Canadian accent (but then, of course, I was charged twice the amount of the original cost). Store owners heard my accent and didn’t understand what I was and dismissively passed me off. When I finally received attention from one, she had asked me desperately “those white people you walk around with...how do I get them to be my friend??” and I was heartbroken. For her. I told her to just say hi, and that they are humans like us, but she wasn’t hearing it.  On top of this, it most definitely did not help seeing bleaching/lightening cream and hair perm advertisements virtually EVERYWHERE, continuously perpetuating a European standard of beauty. 

While I maintained a positive, perseverant spirit, by late July I had officially burnt out. I could no longer hide how I felt, and I grew to be sad, exhausted, angry, bitter. Not with the Ghanaians, not with the kids, but with white people. I am aware of the fact that in the 1830s, Britain colonized Ghana, as well as many African countries. With colonization came a heavy imparting of their values, their traditions, their practices. These were the same people involved with trading Ghanaians as slaves to North America. Mind you, this invasion of Britain was not welcomed by the Ghanaians, as their traditional rulers didn’t passively watch their culture and sovereignty being trampled upon (Boahen, 2004).

While Ghana finally became emancipated of this by 1957, the centuries of their hostile takeover had left a lasting impact that continues today - including the perspective that white people are better/superior. Considering the driving force behind colonization includes the belief that the countries being colonized lack civilization, are savages and are culturally inferior (Donkor, 2005). That mentality cannot be shaken off in 60 years of Ghanaian independence, ESPECIALLY when voluntourism groups like Projects Abroad continue to funnel a majority of white volunteers who are imparting their “wisdom” and “better practices,” which for the most part are Western methods of doing things. Furthermore, the volunteers I was with were there for 2-3 weeks on average. In implementing effective change, long-term assistance is far more beneficial, especially when there are attempts to reform education, to see improvements in the children’s reading and identifying shapes and colours and numbers... 

To me, it appeared that the experience advantaged the volunteers FAR more than the Ghanaians. They got to explore “Africa” and try different foods and take pictures of little black babies and go home while doing very little to no change, especially since follow-up on how the children are progressing is extremely poor, and this cycle continues. There were efforts to follow up on the progress of the kids on computer databases, but they were poorly kept up with. While YES, they have good intentions of teachings that should be heeded to globally (like sanitation, literacy, etc.), but what is far more important is who is teaching these things. 

Hear me out. Give me a few moments before I explain.

When I came home a year ago TODAY, I had no idea how to swallow all of this. I was returning to a white family who I love and adore - but... how? I was left with the resolution that these programs reinforce colonization essentially and that I’m not in love with white people travelling to these countries to “impact others and be impacted themselves,” when REALLY, they just wanted a cute Instagram caption to show their “worldliness”. Super harsh, super judgemental... I know. It’s how I felt though. I was very raw, very angry, and with that realization (and other life factors), I fell into a pretty deep depression. 

I had come to realize that my dream job is going up against hundreds of years of a mentality that views me as less as much as they may view themselves. I am not escaping this reality in my home country either - since black people here are still treated as such! Overt AND covert racism is still here and CAN stand in my way towards future professions. The reality is that white people still prevail in a majority of upper management/higher level education jobs, and my race is a barrier to achieving that - no matter HOW hard I work. Yes, obviously there are exceptions, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are possibilities that they either had to work incredulously hard or are privileged to a sort. 

It didn’t help that this was the summer of the fatal shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling either. 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/us/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam/index.html 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/us/alton-sterling-doj-death-investigation/index.html

On top of that, an INCREDIBLE documentary called 13TH by Ava DuVernay documents essentially how the US economy benefits from imprisoning black men. (a definite watch... it’s available on Netflix).

A year later though, finally, I am not as angry. Still angry, just not as aggressively. Through conversations with my mother figure (who as aforementioned, is white), and faculty from school who have been teaching me about colonization and globalization and such, I’ve come to an understanding that yes, voluntourism does reinforce colonization. Does that mean white people should stop travelling to these countries to help people? Not necessarily. 

Intentions do count. They’re not enough, but they count, So if non-people of colour and even black Canadians/Americans who want to do these opportunities (because being born in the Western-hemisphere, we still do uphold a privilege), I recommend the following to prevent reconstituting a process that continues to undermine the race of people: 

Research into the organizations that you want to travel with. 

Who created them? (Yes, it matters). The people who they wish to help... have they even requested this need? Where is your money going to? How is it being spent?? If you can’t find a linear answer to this, reconsider the organization. 

It is worthwhile to keep searching.

Reading blog posts like mine - it’s natural to want to be defensive. Don’t be. 

It is not about you. The reality is that there are a group of people on the planet that are highly advantaged as opposed to the rest of us. It is what it is. If you really want to make a difference? Listen to the voices of those who are oppressed. Look at it from theirs and from my point of view. And follow suit. 

It’s nice that you want to help, but your actions in helping can be more detrimental. Still don't understand? Reread my colonization bit, or look up what colonization is

The immediate video below has disturbing images and language. Minimize and listen if the images might bother you. 

Are you a proactive ally about the black people/people of colour in this country?

Do you understand the premise of Black Lives Matter? Do you fully understand the struggles of Black Canadians/Black Americans/people of colour? If not, learn about it - or reconsider going to a country that’s full of coloured people. 

Allyship is about recognizing your own privilege, listening to the voices of the oppressed and advocating WITH and not FOR them. Again, I myself in that trip upheld a PRIVILEGE coming from a Western Country. I recognize that and I am aware of the error of my mistakes. 

Learn. The name. Of the country. You’re going to. 

unless you’re spending like a year in 56 countries because you’re bout that money, I doubt you’re going to “Africa”. When you go to the United States, you’re not going to “North America”. 

In using the blanket statement “I’m going to Africa”, there is the underhanded connotation that this continent is full of a homogenous group of people. This is false and prejudices because 56 different nations couldn’t all possibly be the same. Or even similar. We’re a diverse group of people. Assuming that we’re all the same is wrong. 

In going to Europe, Italy and Spain are NOT the same. It’s the same with Africa. Nigeria and Ghana... not. the. same. 

At the root of it all, it’s about love. 

patient 

kind 

not envious, boastful, arrogant or rude

does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in TRUTH

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

it never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-13) 

it’s not self-serving, but rather it wishes to serve others. really delve into truth and make sure your intentions are in their best interests. 

I do not have all the answers! I really don’t. I’ve only been back a year and I’m still learning. If you took this as a white-bashing post, please re-read everything again. And hit me up for follow-up discussion. This is 100% not done with that intention. 

I mean everything that I’ve said with the utmost respect. While this trip wasn’t what I expected, I know it was not done in vain. I hope that my experiences are eye-opening to someone and that we can stop recolonizing and actually make effective and positive change. 

It includes me. It includes you. 

- danielle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boahen, A. A., & BOAHEN, A. A. (2004). Ghana (Republic of): Colonization and resistance, 1875-1901. In K. Shillington (Ed.), Encyclopedia of African history. London, UK: Routledge. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.humber.ca/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routafricanhistory/ghana_republic_of_colonization_and_resistance_1875_1901/0?institutionId=1430 

Donkor, M. (2005). Marching to the tune: Colonization, globalization, immigration, and the ghanaian diaspora. Africa Today, 52(1), 26-145. doi:10.2979/AFT.2005.52.1.26

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

it’s multifaceted.

“What do you mean ‘it’s multifaceted’, Danielle?” 

Ever so glad that you asked.

I have heard stories of white friends in predominately coloured communities that experience discrimination, white-bashing and ridicule simply because they are white. I’ll be honest, while my compassionate was present, it was limited. To my understanding, reverse racism doesn't exist. You cannot oppress the oppressor. In the grand scheme of things, white people have power so it doesn’t matter. 

Yes, white people hold high dominance in the world, “as in the global context, whiteness is marked as the superior other”(Lan, 2011). 

Yes, they have a history of oppressing.  “During the colonial era, Britain and France...influenced millions of people, structuring their education, work, laws and shaping their identities” (Bleich, 2005). No. Reverse racism should not be validated. (Bonsu, 2017).  

A conversation with my professor (S/O Shani K!) inspired this blog and its title because she helped me to realize that things are not linear. 

For example: in a community in Toronto, a white child in a predominately Indian-Canadian school has his opinions and experiences dismissed. Within that context, Indians hold the power. The white child obviously does not.   A white child with parents who have a high school education at the most, in comparison to a Chinese-Canadian child with parents who have degrees. That Chinese-Canadian child has more of an advantage and privilege than that white child.

~ I understand that in most cases, white people are advantaged because systems advantage them. but not. all. the. time. ~ 

This conversation is dear to me because these white friends of mine that experience the backlash are actually very supportive of the black community. They are aware of cultural appropriation, they are aware of colonization and its numerous, detrimental effects, they understand the importance of Black Lives Matter, and they ask questions when they do not. White people like this exist. Just like we don’t want to be generalized, we shouldn’t generalize them. For me to dismiss their experiences of discrimination and hate would not be right. 

YES. In working alongside minorities who are very much underprivileged and powerless will come with white-bashing due to the resentment and anger caused by the power differential. It’s inevitable. But to be discriminated against still, hurts, and should not be invalidated. 

ALL IN ALL:

This conversation simply CANNOT be linear, (white people are evil/have done evil and the discrimination towards them is justified). 

and it CANNOT be a matter of duality. (white people can be racist because they’re privileged, people of colour cannot because they aren’t). 

Like the surface of a diamond, it’s multifaceted. There are so many sides to consider, that the answer is not black and white (no pun intended, *emoji eye roll*). Geographical context, history, backgrounds, personal stories... there is so much to consider that it would be unfair and I think relatively ignorant to dismiss those factors.

That is in regards to so many things, too! In my opinion, absolutism (belief in absolute principles) is the absolute worst, (ha), and I think it is valid in the world of mathematics. That’s the only example that I can think of to be very honest lol. Many things have many factors and contexts to consider. 

My point is, in order for us to have a conversation about race, we cannot invalidate the experiences of others - ALL others -  and we cannot dismiss the kajillion factors that shape a human’s experience on this planet. 

- danielle.