Books for black and biracial kids
So I'm starting to get upset about the media in general. I'm looking for media that is geared toward people of color, kids and other wise, and it's pretty hard to find in your general book store. Its just frustrating when I go into the book store and only see kids books with pictures of white kids in them. It's like every book you look must include and illustration of a white child, most likely a white boy. In fact most of the books are either about white boys by the way they are illustrated or written with a mail voice i.e. "once there was a boy, he blah blah blah" and it's pretty frustrating when looking for books for a really light skinned straight haired biracial 7 year old girl living in the south, who I know will grow up to have a healthy self loving life. Not that the media or books stores are really helping that out...
In anycase, I picked up a Shel Silverstine book with funny words and a cute book called "I love My Hair"about black hair written from the prospective of a black girl and with great wonderful beautiful illustrations. So I'm happy.. But not really because I feel like it shouldn't have been this hard and frustrating to find a book with a cute little brown face on the cover, btw the one I got was the only one in Barnes and Noble that fit that criteria. At Borders there were none.
Then I go looking at the magazine shelves, and the essence is nestled into some 2nd row creepy place and then I open it and tell me why all the women in it have perms and blah blah blah??? why? I want to see some people like me in every media source out there. Natural hair, brown skin, curvey bodies etc. etc. I know people who look like me (read : biracial/lightskinned w/ blonde highlights) are out there in advertising or whatever. But biracial folks are more then just veichles to make sales, we are people too America. And I want to see some natural dark skinned black women out there who aren't pushed into this "afro centric" neo-soul corner... whatever. This whole thing is entrenched with such gross classism.. thats a whole other sick topic...
This woman that I work with is always telling me to get muy hair straightened or whatever, and it's getting really annoying because I just feel kind of like "stop pushing your internalized oppression on me! Please!" I mean I know that all this fashion and style advice is comming from a good place or whatever, but I'm not interested in the bonuses she has to offer. I would only go get my hain done w/ her, or let her do my hair to be closer with her. The worst part is that I probably couldn't even get my hair done where she gets it done (talk about the problem of being biracial) so whatever. Also it's just so weird because I told her she should wear her hair natural, and it' slike, I know I can because I have "good hair" and for her it would be much harder to be accepted in her circle walking around with her hair natural but... thats not my fault, but I am benefiting from it. The real thing that hurt me is that she is telling me I need to get a perm or whatever, and it's just like. I feel like, I love my hair, my mom spent all these years combing it, and blah blah Why should I perm it? A lot of the black women /people in general that I have had casual friendships with tend to think I'm a silly fool, and most white people think I'm crazy.. so where does that leave me, In the middle! haha. The thing is black people that I have met actually seem to have some idea of what it might be to be like to be biracial, whereas white people do not. Is it better to be trivalized or mystified?
I just remember when my aunt was in town, and she combed my hair, she loves my hair so much. It was great to have someone comb my hair and touch it in a loving way and empathize with me, I don't know how many people have dealt with my hair like that. Not even myself, it just reminded me that I actually need to take care of it. I just want to be loved, apreciated and empathized with to the point that it reminds me that I need to take better care of myself. Isn't that what a lot of people want?
I was in the store the other day, looking at the card, and thinking about how so many people of color get card with white faces on them and I was like "what would happen if I started giving white people cards that had people of color on them?" I think i will..
In anycase.
In better news, I am actually feeling good. And the interveiw with Selma Hayac (sp?) in Redbook is really good. I like her voice. I bought a bunch of crap today, but it was stuff I needed so it's okay. And there is a plus sized womens magazine which is okay.
I don't even want to get into all that crap though. There is no reform.
In anycase, I picked up a Shel Silverstine book with funny words and a cute book called "I love My Hair"about black hair written from the prospective of a black girl and with great wonderful beautiful illustrations. So I'm happy.. But not really because I feel like it shouldn't have been this hard and frustrating to find a book with a cute little brown face on the cover, btw the one I got was the only one in Barnes and Noble that fit that criteria. At Borders there were none.
Then I go looking at the magazine shelves, and the essence is nestled into some 2nd row creepy place and then I open it and tell me why all the women in it have perms and blah blah blah??? why? I want to see some people like me in every media source out there. Natural hair, brown skin, curvey bodies etc. etc. I know people who look like me (read : biracial/lightskinned w/ blonde highlights) are out there in advertising or whatever. But biracial folks are more then just veichles to make sales, we are people too America. And I want to see some natural dark skinned black women out there who aren't pushed into this "afro centric" neo-soul corner... whatever. This whole thing is entrenched with such gross classism.. thats a whole other sick topic...
This woman that I work with is always telling me to get muy hair straightened or whatever, and it's getting really annoying because I just feel kind of like "stop pushing your internalized oppression on me! Please!" I mean I know that all this fashion and style advice is comming from a good place or whatever, but I'm not interested in the bonuses she has to offer. I would only go get my hain done w/ her, or let her do my hair to be closer with her. The worst part is that I probably couldn't even get my hair done where she gets it done (talk about the problem of being biracial) so whatever. Also it's just so weird because I told her she should wear her hair natural, and it' slike, I know I can because I have "good hair" and for her it would be much harder to be accepted in her circle walking around with her hair natural but... thats not my fault, but I am benefiting from it. The real thing that hurt me is that she is telling me I need to get a perm or whatever, and it's just like. I feel like, I love my hair, my mom spent all these years combing it, and blah blah Why should I perm it? A lot of the black women /people in general that I have had casual friendships with tend to think I'm a silly fool, and most white people think I'm crazy.. so where does that leave me, In the middle! haha. The thing is black people that I have met actually seem to have some idea of what it might be to be like to be biracial, whereas white people do not. Is it better to be trivalized or mystified?
I just remember when my aunt was in town, and she combed my hair, she loves my hair so much. It was great to have someone comb my hair and touch it in a loving way and empathize with me, I don't know how many people have dealt with my hair like that. Not even myself, it just reminded me that I actually need to take care of it. I just want to be loved, apreciated and empathized with to the point that it reminds me that I need to take better care of myself. Isn't that what a lot of people want?
I was in the store the other day, looking at the card, and thinking about how so many people of color get card with white faces on them and I was like "what would happen if I started giving white people cards that had people of color on them?" I think i will..
In anycase.
In better news, I am actually feeling good. And the interveiw with Selma Hayac (sp?) in Redbook is really good. I like her voice. I bought a bunch of crap today, but it was stuff I needed so it's okay. And there is a plus sized womens magazine which is okay.
I don't even want to get into all that crap though. There is no reform.