Last year I was a guest on a podcast focused on racial ambiguity, Our True Colors. I shared that “ambiguity only exists when specificity isn’t present and assumptions are prioritized in exchanges.”

In real life people are proud of where they’re from and who they are. In real life people poke ambiguity with a “stick” often. People, White people, are always asking “where are you really from?”

This leads to one of the top questions around Bonnie being about her ethnicity.

Many creators in my circle have had the same experiences. I think the most telling part for me, is their Top Voices choices along with the choices they choose to amplify on their own page, it’s always the same types of professionals. LinkedIn has also began prioritizing TikTok stars instead of those who create exclusively on their platform.

The artist, Nadia Snopek, is White and likely did not consult a single Black person before publishing. In the originally mentioned conversation, Ku’ulani Keohokalole (She/Her/‘Oia), shared something I’ll never forget. She shared that “When people say they ‘don’t care if people are blue, purple, or green’, I tell them there are no blue, purple, or green people. People don’t come in those colors, so what are you really saying?”

Rahimeh Ramenzany (She/Her) was a guest on my podcast, Absolutely Not!, almost 2 years ago. She was an absolute delight and she is the reason I have my name pronunciation visible in a lot of places.

With Special Guest Dr. Janice Gassam Asare (She/Her) https://www.linkedin.com/in/janicegassamphd/ Dr. Janice is the founder of BWG Business Solutions, an award-winning DEI consultancy designed to help organizations create cultures built on racial equity. She is a senior contributing writer for Forbes having authored over 350 articles.

This particular manager was giving me some constructive feedback, and I put "constructive" in quotes. remember thinking and verbalizing

to the person like, 'Look, I'm not you.

You are willing to accept

disorganization and last minute

deadlines and overwork and things

of that nature with a smile on your

face, as though nothing is going on

that you disagree with. I'm not going

to do that. I'm not you.'

The more that we dig into doing the things that make us happy, loving ourselves and finding people that connect to the love that we have decided that we are worth. The better. So this is a call for Black women to know that you are loved, beautiful and valuable. And that there is a benefit to presenting to you that you are not and that benefit is not yours.

In Jazmine Sullivan’s award winning album she provides ballad after ballad entrenched with vulnerability, sexual experiences and a deep look into the ideology we are taught about our bodies and what we are allowed to do with them.

There are very few people who still rock with me since the start of Absolutely Not! I have transitioned in many ways since creating this space and a lot of people have shown where their support stops. The people who continue to show up have made this all possible. I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I started this space and have given everything I can to get it done.