I bring you February’s Book of the Month with a side of red wine and Ghanaian chocolate.
Like any other quirky black girl, I spent many nights soldiering through insomnia (and high functioning depression) with episode after episode of Chewing Gum - What’s that? It’s just me? Carrying on…
So obviously I was devastated to hear the show wouldn’t be returning for another season. But, the Quirky Black Girl Collective was not left in the dark for long. What a treat to hear Michaela Coel was due to grace us with more witty banter through her latest publication - Misfits: A Personal Manifesto.
Miss Coel covers everything from growing up labeled a “coconut” (Oreo if you’re American) to her fear of moths to handling micro-aggressions at work.
But one topic in particular keeps me up at night -
“Over time some of us have adopted techniques to turn our feelings of alienation into humor”
As a writer I can identify. Sometimes we don’t know how messed up our experiences are until we remove ourselves from them - until we view those experiences from the outside. I thought of many other black artists who have done the same - Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Issa Rae - The list goes on and on. I think of the black artists who found their place in a world which alienates them by monetizing their quirks - by being themselves.
Because what better way to live in the dark than with a box of matches?
So we close our eyes and let it all out. Screaming into the void with hopes that maybe, just maybe, we are not alone. Someone else out there who harvests the same shame and discomfort with being not quite enough for the world around them will join the revolt - The Misfits.
This month, I honor Michaela Coel and every coconut (or Oreo), every Blerd, every Misfit, with the courage to share their story.
Because, that’s what Black History Month is about, isn’t it? Sharing our stories. Letting our voices be heard. Shouting from the rooftops “I WAS HERE!” The same rooftops that have a bad habit of erasing us with time.
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