To the brown skin girl reading this, 

You will encounter many challenges throughout life. They will question your hair. They will question your style. They will be intimated by your presence. And although your presence is immensely infiltrated into today’s society, you will feel so unseen. Unheard. And underappreciated.  They want your essence. They surgically imitate you your shape. They want what you embody but they don’t they don’t want the skin tone and soul that produces this ethereal being. You will begin to question your beauty. You will find yourself questioning the very features that they adore because they just don’t adore them on you. You will find yourself trying to lower your voice because you will always be told that we are too loud for a world that wants you to be seen and not heard.  Too load. Too aggressive. Too strong. Too opinionated. Too shapely. Not shapely enough. Growing up, you will struggle with understanding who are. You will find yourself struggling with your identity. You will be judged for sounding “white.” You will be judge for being “too ghetto.” Who they think you are will be determined by a world to narrow minded to grasp your broad complexity. You will be baffled trying to figure out what parameters you need to fit in to in order to function in this complicated world. 

Brown skin girl, your hair will be too nappy. Too short. And if its long they will question if it is yours. They will ask if they can touch it. Every time you change it, they will ask: “how do you do that?” You will feel like you are on display…but not in a good way. 

Brown skin girl, what I want to tell you is: all the challenges you face will not be in vain. When the time is right, you will learn how to walk with your shoulders back and head up. You will embrace the sway in her hips and the complexity of complexion. You will realize that you are a goddess. A trail blazer. A trend setter. You will learn to embrace who you are. Unapologetically. You will see that your skin is made up of honey and coco beans. You will learn to be unashamed of your speech. They will call you angry. They will call you aggressive. But your fight. Your voice. Your passion…. It will impact nations. It will provide wisdom and covering to the young queens coming behind you. It will change the conversation. Brown skin girl be loud about what sets your souls on fire. Do not shrink to fit the small mold that the world gives you.

Brown skin girl, you will learn how to navigate this world. I promise. You will find your place. And when you do, stand in it. Fearlessly. 

Brown skin girl if no one has told you, I love you. I see you. I hear you. I support you. I will fight for you. I will fight with you. Your beauty goes beyond your comprehension, but I promise to hold the mirror up in front of you, fix your crown, and remind you of how truly special you are. I will love you when you don’t know how to love yourself. Because I too have been there. I write this to myself. To my inner brown skin girl. Who struggled for years. Questioning herself. Not understanding who she was and what kind of power she processed. 

To the brown skin women who have never really addressed their inner brown skin girl, I encourage you to look at her. Love on her. And stand with her. Because she is still in there waiting to be accepted by the one whose thoughts and opinions matter most. Take your rightful place. Be unashamed. And unapologetic. Again, I say, I love you. I see you. I hear you. I support you. I will fight for you. I will fight with you. Always. 

XOXO,

Angie