A few days ago, I sat and talked with an older non-black woman that I've known for about two years now. She's always treated me so well and has shown me so much genuine love. When she was getting ready to leave, she looked at me - with so much compassion in her eyes - and simply said "I love you." When I think about "black love" now, I don't solely think of it as an intimate title we give to two African-American lovers. I think of it as the love that is given from anyone to people of color, from us to our friends, and from us to our families. "Black love" is so much deeper than what we've noted it to be. "Black love" is everything that we wish life was for us, but isn't. "Black love" is noticing that there are good people out here who want to see us do better, have better, and be treated better that may not necessarily be of our skin color. "Black love" is knowing that in order to have change, we have to notice that yes we are fighting, but the fight is not always meant to be done alone. "Black love" is about self-love, selfless love, and unconditional love. No one has to agree with me, but please know that when I speak of "Black love," it won't always be about two African-Americans falling in love with one another; it will be about us falling in love with ourselves first and being open to letting other people love us too - even if their skin produces a little less melanin than ours. #BlackLove #ExposeYourQueen #VisiblyBlack #YearOfTheGreat #MelaninMagic #BlackGirlMagic #LoveYourself