Back From Essence!

Hey all MY people!

Hope everyone in the U.S and all around the world had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. I just got back from New Orleans to celebrate the 2016 Essence Festival. It's my second straight year going and it was an awesome experience. Uncle Charlie, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Boy Records killed it this year. I was especially surprised at how P. Diddy got the whole crowd pumping.

One of the most prominent themes stressed throughout the festival was the celebration of black beauty. Granted all women are beautiful in their own way, black women seem to struggle with accepting themselves as beings of beauty. I cannot say for certain, as I am not a woman, but I believe much of the self-loathing harbored by black women come from the propulsion of certain black women on media outlets as symbols of sex and envy. At the same time, the remainder of the black, feminine community are either ignored or seen in an unfavorable light.

In a sense, much of the fault falls on us black men who allow these kinds of biases to persist. We refuse to challenge the make-up commercials that sell products meant for lighter-skinned models or the hair commercials that focus on long, straight-haired models. In many cases, we affirm these stereotypes either in our lives or in the products we sell.

That is not to say these media-favored models are not beautiful or worthy of recognition. True beauty, however, spans a much larger spectrum than what current media is comfortable showing or conveying. I know my declaration of beauty will only be seen as a special case by a majority of black women who read this post. I admit, what I am about to say is not something very many rich or iconic black men, who these women admire, say. But it is the truth. Whether you are light-skinned, dark-skinned, long-haired, short-haired, bald, freckled, freckle-less, tall, short or whatever, you are beautiful just based on the fact that you exist. No one can take or deny your existence, worth or beauty. No one except for you.

With that said, here is a song by an icon who I greatly respect. The song is called "Afrikan Lady" by Ms. Aina More and it embodies my feelings towards the strong, beautiful black woman. Enjoy!

Aina More - Afrikan Lady (Official Video)

Special thanks to Aina Morenike for sharing the video. Please show your appreciation by liking the video at its YouTube page here and leave a comment. Also, don't forget to leave a comment in the comment section below. Until next time........