Nothing happens in the “real” world unless it first happens in the images in our heads.
-Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera
Brown Girls, we are nothing less than glorious!
Seeing ourselves as glorious is its own kind of revolution! This week, we want to challenge ourselves to see our own glory inside our minds first. I have to confess I took this quote out of context, in its entirety it reads:
“The struggle is inner: Chicano, indio, American Indian, mojado, mexicano, immigrant Latino, Anglo in power, working class Anglo, Black, Asian–our psyches resemble the bordertowns and are populated by the same people. The struggle has always been inner, and is played out in outer terrains. Awareness of our situation must come before inner changes, which in turn come before changes in society. Nothing happens in the “real” world unless it first happens in the images in our heads.”
In this context we understand that Anzaldua is referring to racial and cultural identity. Today I am referring to awareness in the sense of realizing your greatness. Brown girls, we are aware of how the world sees us and we are very aware of how it can devalue us too. Creating positive and loving images of ourselves inside our own minds can be a challenge. Especially with such limited representation. It takes a lot of self care, surrounding ourselves with loving folks, and using our most gentlest voice with ourselves and that is what I hope we can do this week and beyond!
We are beautiful, so beautiful and beneficial to this world, and you deserve all the love and grace. Be a visionary and imagine yourself as worthy and divine. Remember you matter!
Brown Girls Out Loud 