The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St. John’s chapter.
Growing up as someone who is part Puerto Rican and part African American, I found myself constantly in an identity crisis. The world misleads you into believing that you must pick a culture, “pick a side,” but you do not. For most of my life, I thought it was more “true” to my family to stick to my Puerto Rican culture; after all, it is all I really grew up with. What I would later learn is that embracing both of my cultures was the only way to be true to my family and to myself.
February marks Black History Month, a month all about celebrating Black culture, Black artists, Black scholars and the pride that comes with being a Black person (Black woman, in my case). There is such beauty in our culture, originality and abundance. Abundance of diversity, love and generations of diligence and pride. Black culture can be seen through our different hair textures, the clothes we wear, and the music we listen to. Black artists like Sade, Lauryn Hill, and Tems represent the artistic range in Black artists. My fro is my favorite feature and I wear it proudly for all of the women who came before me. To me, Black History Month is a celebration! It is a celebration of every Black person before us who risked their lives to give us the rights we have now. It is an ode to hardships, perseverance and sacrifice. Despite decades of racism, discrimination and prejudice, we overcame it all. To be Black is a badge of honor, a signal of strength.
As I reflect on the last few years of my life, I realize that I am more connected to my identity as a Black woman more than ever and that it does not take away from the fact that I am also a Puerto Rican woman. I can embrace the duality of what it means to be a woman of color by appreciating both of my cultures. I listen to the music my Afro-Latina family adores while proudly wearing my natural hair, a representation of my African American family. I draw inspiration from Black culture in my fashion and the way I carry myself; elegantly and uniquely. For years, I battled with my identity, but now more than ever, I can appreciate my blackness. Black comes in all shapes, sizes and colors, and I fit into it all somehow. So, during Black History Month, I remind myself that to be Black is to be beautiful, intelligent and complex. To be Black is to be strong and determined. To be Black is to be filled with love and appreciation.