I am Ijeoma Anastasia Ntada. An unapologetic black girl with a bulbous afro. I have always
wanted to volunteer and reach a lot of other girls like me. Especially those that are yet to come
to terms with their colors and the truth of their being. Hey girl, we are the different flowers that
make a garden beautiful.
Growing up, I was literally obsessed with K-drama. All the panache and poise rubbed off on me
greatly. So did all the stereotypes and parochial thoughts. I got these large and dreamy
eyeballs, with a complimenting black skin. I am the color of power. Black. Thinking of it now, I
find it weird how much I wanted to be I was not. How much I wished to save money and get
surgery(smaller eyes). I was obviously not proud of my skin. I wasn’t comfortable in my own
body.
I only realized my internalized racism years later when I began to read books. When I began to
see the world through clearer lenses. Beauty is not skin color, nor hair colour, nor race. Beauty
is carriage, your grace and how you see yourself. One thing I would always be grateful to have
known in my formative years is a book. Yes, books. On the pages of a book, I grew wings and
flew into the times of black women that lived even before my mother conceived me. On the
pages of a book, I met other girls who take pride in being themselves with pride.
As I begin my volunteering today as a content creator at Developing Afrika, I hope to also be a
beam of light to girls groping in the dark of self rejection, internalized racism and stereotypical
nonsense. I will show you how to girl with elegance and grace. Thanks to Oluwaseyitan Awojobi
for this initiative. We are Developing Afrika, we’ll help you find and build your voice, dear girl.
