Being Comfortable With Your Racial Identity
African-Americans have through history struggled with the question of identity and race, being discriminated against in their own country. The question of racial identity is something that many artist have tackled in their work, and everyone has their own way of expressing it and defining it.
Photo Credit: Kwaku Alston
This subject matter is part of a travelling exhibition that opened in Detroit this past Sunday at the General Motors Center for African American Art. It's title, "30 Americans", was named such as opposed to 'African-Americans, or 'Black Americans' because nationality is a statement of fact whereas racial identity everyone needs to define for themselves, as stated by Mr & Mrs Rubell.
Donald and Mera Rubell established The Rubell Family Collection (RFC), back in 1064, and it is now one of the largest privately owned contemporary art collections. It's from their collection that 55 paintings, sculptures, installations, photos, and videos have been borrowed until January 18, 2016
One of the artist featured is Lorna Simpson, an artist whose work examines the ways in which gender and culture shape the interactions, relationships and experiences of life in contemporary America. The body of work is also evident of Simpson's questioning of memory and representation, themes that all relate to the exhibition theme of racial identity.
Even though I'm not African-America, I grew up in Sweden as an African, and that had it's own set of issues, lol. Now living in Canada, you should see the looks I get telling people I'm Swedish. All that aside, I think our identity, at the centre, needs to be found in God. Everything else is less significant. I'm not saying it's not significant, trust me, I know it is. This is why I'm more concerned with representation more than anything.
The generations to come shouldn't have any identity crises based on the colour of their skin, and hopefully being a black Swede won't raise any eyebrows in the future. So whether you identify yourself as an American, a Swede, Black or Mocha, you matter, and your story deserves to be told and heard. Be it through art, music, or dance, don't let anybody else define the uniqueness and beauty that God made you. It's not for anybody else to box or compartmentalize (including you). But it is to express whatever it is God has bestowed upon you, gifted you with, your passion, to be shared with the world. A gift is only a gift once you give it away (share it).
Be blessed!