I feel like my career is to speak truth to power, and a lot of times, that sounds like troublemaking. If speaking truth is troublemaking, then yes, I will consider myself a professional at that.
I want people to see my color and my culture written all over me, because I am proud of the skin I'm in. It is an important part of my identity. What I don't want them to do is mistreat me because of it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of embracing and being proud of one's cultural identity while rejecting mistreatment based on it.
Luvvie Ajayi's quote speaks to the deep connection between personal identity and cultural heritage. It highlights the pride one can take in their background and appearance, encouraging individuals to express their unique cultures openly. However, it also addresses the painful reality of discrimination and the desire for acceptance without prejudice. The message encourages a celebration of diversity and a call for respect and understanding from others.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be a powerful addition to a speech about cultural awareness at a community event.
More from Luvvie Ajayi
All quotes →Being able to live without having to be defined by your skin color is the hallmark of privilege.
Through my school years, I learned more about slavery, anti-black racism, and oppression in the U.S., and my blackness could no longer be an afterthought. I started wearing it proudly, and as my consciousness deepened, so did my love for black folks.
You can be tweeting strangers and saying, 'Don't say that,' but are you saying that to your friends? How about your mom? Your boyfriend at the dinner table who says something homophobic? If you're not saying the same things in person that you're saying online, then what are your tweets doing?
When people say things like, 'Oh, I can't find black or brown whatever position it is,' I wanted to be clear that we exist in droves. When I tell people, 'Hey, share your work, share your LinkedIn,' it's with the ultimate goal that somebody on that thread gets hired, or something positive happens.
Being conscious of Global Blackness is knowing that we are not an island of our struggle but a nation of our triumphs. That's blackness to me.
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I've always known exactly who I am. I was a girl trapped in a boy's body.
My mama is African American and from Wisconsin. My baba was born in Iran. My parents have stressed the idea of creating your own path, and creating your own identity is part of that. That's why embracing these two cultures is important to me.
For me, having a gender identity that was different from my sex assigned at birth and that wasn't seen by society felt like a constant feeling of homesickness - that unwavering ache in the pit of my stomach.
Growing up, I knew I was different. But I didn't know what it meant to be Aboriginal. I just knew that I had a really big, extended family. I was taught nothing about who we were or where we came from.
Blackness remains the coat you can't take off.
My hats did give me an identity. In fact, if I had a dollar for every time someone has seen me bareheaded and said, 'I almost didn't recognize you without a hat on', I could have bought the Cowboys myself.