Allowing ourselves to be more aware of our surroundings on a micro and macro scale is the most complex education we will encounter due to the fact that the politics concerning our own identities will never end. We are always in flux; simultaneously being molded by a world that we are often resistant to because of the many ways it has resisted us. This energy has been harnessed to construct our morals, values and beliefs, based on the preconceived invisible hierarchies of humanity that we call “race”. All of what we know of ourselves and others has the opportunity to conflict within one space and time at multiple moments in a day. The question that concerns many in our human culture, is how do we process all of this information in a world where it is consumed in such an immediate yet seemingly distant way? What has this done for our understanding of self and how do we heal when the traumas and triumphs of knowing our histories (individual and collective) are so deep?
We cannot answer any of these questions for anyone but ourselves but it is important to make a space for a combination of discussion, critical analysis, alternative historical knowledge and emotional reflections in order to process our identities. In this sense, it is imperative that people of color be in control of their own narratives, resources, media and education, helping each other to see what is collectively important from all from the different perspectives we carry.
All culture is important to the understanding of humanity. The process of discovering and learning from the similarities and differences throughout the histories of the globe bring us closer to an awareness and understanding of the present condition of the people of this world, on both local and global scales.
This is personally important to me. Through all forms of research, conversations and reflections I am beginning the long process of redefining myself on my own terms through the knowledge I deem relevant. Learning to take pride in the histories of the black and brown people of this world is imperative to my spirit. With all that has happened in the last five years, I am just now beginning to figure out how to cope with living under the powerful white supremacist system. With all the instances of death and police brutality, government neglect, collective ignorance and wide spread apathy instead of empathy, it has become more apparent than ever that we are facing a system that seeks to erase the identities of those who defy and refuse its suffocating “ideals”. Every day that I go on social media I encounter more stories explicitly illustrating the pain of the oppressed and sometimes all I can do is cry.
But in the end, I am grateful for the voices of my family, friends and loved ones that bring me back to a safe space where my life is validated and my power is uplifted. This is important for all people to find, for we are all we have.
We need to take care of each other emotionally, mentally, spiritually, politically, economically, and any other way we can think of.
Through the sharing of culture, we can seek to bridge the gap between the knowledge of ourselves that has been provided to us and the truth of our people through past, present and future histories. This is an all encompassing goal with intricate intimate levels we have yet to reach, but we choose to address these topics in the space of True Laurels through the creative voices of our generation and beyond.
True Laurels is a space for the inquisitive, passionate and stonewalled youth, who seek to share, learn, inform, commune and inspire through all creative mediums. We cover music, film, visual arts, societal aggravations and the culture that breeds all of this while keeping in mind the differences between opinion and formal authority.
While remaining cognizant that the truth of one or many is not the truth of all, we aim to embolden individual agency and connection through the internationalism of POC culture, for we are beautifully present everywhere in the world.