AFRO (African Females Remember OURstory) is a vision I have always had from my adolescent years, even though putting it into words (i.e. the acronym above) came fairly recently. Too often, I would find my Africanness as a black woman in America systematically (yet covertly) supressed by the society I have been enculturated in. My journey to becoming AFROconscious is ongoing; so far I have encountered potholes and sharp turns along the way. Despite the obstacles I have encountered, I have been strengthened and enlightened by them, which has made me grateful.
So what is OURstory?
That is something this blog will seek to explore. As black women (in the motherland, the Americas, Caribbean, Europe etc.) we have a forgotten legacy that is rich yet humbling. Learning about ourstory is a journey for me; I'm no know-it-all and am not trying to be. I do want to share the puzzle pieces of ourstory as I find them. I find those pieces everywhere from how we do our hair, to our grandmothers or aunties telling us stories from "Back in the Day," to those folk medicinal remedies for the common cold and PMS. Words are power, so I definitely want this blog to be a place where we can share ourstories about love, life, culture, history, work, beauty, fear...everything. From creative writing, vlogging, spoken word, photography, art, ethnography etc. I want AFRO to be where we, black women, begin to tell our stories, our way.
Now hold up. Before anyone even asks, I am NOT trying to put us on a pedestal above other women. I do want us to know what our rich legacy was and continues to be as African women on the continent and in the Diaspora. Somewhere down the line ourstories went underground (thank you slavery, colonialism, Jim Crow, gentrification etc). AFRO is about digging beneath the rubble to uplift and preserve those stories (I know...horrible archaeology analogy :)Just remember:
Within every black woman is a story. If she never tells it, you'll never know the woman.
Peace and many blessings to those who come across this blog. I'll be in touch.
