CELEBRATING BLACK LOVE
CELEBRATING BLACK LOVE
Love & Relationship
With Valentine’s Day taking place during Black History Month, it is the perfect occasion to celebrate Black Love. While some people might question the validity and relevance of calling it “Black Love” instead of just “Love”, others see it as a revolutionary act.
Especially in the Americas, where we experience a lot of anti-black and systemic racism. Moreover, what is mostly showcased on television and in the media, is the idea that love is hard and painful for black people. It even sometimes feels like they’re implying that for us to find love that is healthy and peaceful, we must date “outside our race”.
READ: SIDE EFFECTS OF THE “STRONG INDEPENDENT BLACK WOMAN” MYTH
Therefore, when we purposefully reappropriate the narrative on Black Love to make it a positive one and we stand firm in our beliefs, we’re adding value to our community and to our identity. We’re also celebrating a love that was forbidden just few centuries ago, and that still faces challenges today. And that’s revolutionary!
So let’s have a look at what characterizes Black Love (even though our own personal definition of the term might vary from one individual to another).
Loving yourself.
As a black person, the act of self love is indeed an act of Black Love. And it’s not always easy in a world where we’re continuously criticized and discriminated against because of our melanin. That’s why getting to a place where you fully love yourself, including your blackness, represents a kind of spiritual and healing journey for many of us.
Loving one another.
Black Love can be about the love between romantic partners, as much as it can be about the love between friends, family members, community members and other acquaintances. Supporting one another is crucial to our survival and our prosperity in this society.
Loving your culture.
Although there’s no ‘one’ black culture and we all have our own unique way of experiencing our blackness, loving the culture you’ve decided makes you feel closer to your blackness and to your community is worthy of celebration. Sharing, embracing, encouraging and promoting these cultural values contributes to their sustainability over time.
With all of that in mind, let’s continue this revolution! Let’s keep loving and affirming ourselves and each other, even with so many things going against us. Let’s heal together, let’s build together, let’s create generational wealth together. Because together, with love, we will prevail.
Black couple credit photo: prettisusu
As I’m always looking to learn something new about the world and its people, I've also been on a journey to discover the world within my own self. Which is why I love sharing and exchanging opinions and knowledge with people. In a way, communication has always been part of my pursuit, whether it was by getting my bachelor's degree in Communications, hosting a radio show in Australia even though I barely spoke English back then, or even by recently getting a certification in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). I feel like I have so much to share with the world. And so much more to learn.
