This one’s for every student who was made to feel stupid by their teachers and peers, for every kid treated like a lost cause in education. This is a fuck you to everyone who thought I’d never achieve anything like this. Yesterday I graduated with an MSc degree with Merit in Crime Science from UCL, one of the most prestigious and most difficult universities in the world. I’d love to see teachers who kicked me out of class for asking for help, and the students who called me stupid on a daily basis, try that now. After being bullied badly through many of my years in education, it destroyed my confidence and made me believe that I was an idiot. Not only have I proved them wrong, I’ve proved to myself that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to. #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike
Btw… Andra, Viola, and Chadwick was snubbed! But a heavy congrats to H.E.R, Daniel, Terrence J, and the Make Up Crew for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom!!! ✊☺️
Outside the world of film and TV, few had probably ever heard the term “painting down” until earlier this month, when Warner Bros. Television apologized for wanting to use a white stuntwoman in dark-skinned makeup in its Fox TV show Gotham. The embarrassed production company said it would hire an African-American stuntwoman instead. Yet any way you color it, “painting down” is just another term for “blackface.” And it’s been happening for decades.
Multi-hyphenate actor-dancer-singer-saxophonist Skyh Alvester Black sat down with us on hisbirthday* to chat about filming season two of All The Queen’s Men, the audition experience, learning about himself through the roles he plays, and more.
*This interview was recorded on February 16th, which is Skyh’s birthday. Today is not February 16th, but you should still wish him a happy birthday!
I speak my passion with the volume of my ancestors. Black women are either portrayed as weak victims or angry antagonists and neither of those are right. Being a black woman is a flex because everything you touch your fingers to turns gold. You were born in a world filled with both hatred and admiration for who you are. You can walk straight into a room and intimidate everyone in it. Yet so many of us devote our lives to the good of our people, the betterment of the world, the progress of what we believe in.
Being a black woman is a gift, not just to us but to the world because without that influence, fashion would’ve been bland. Without that nurturing, parents wouldn’t know how to raise their kids. Without that devotion, great men would’ve struggled.
So the next time you think to talk down on a black woman or tell her what she should and shouldn’t do with her body, her narrative, her voice, her being.. remember, a super hero can turn into a super villain real quick. So behave, give praise, and stand for black women every day because the QUEEN said so. don’t wait and let us become another hashtag before you show us love.
