Colored Magic

"Resilience. Noun. The ability of substance or object to spring back into shape.

Strength. Noun. The capacity of substance or object to withstand great force or pressure.

Power. Noun. The ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or a course of events.

Women of Color. Noun. Magic.

With skin like sand, and clay, and dusk.

I used to wonder how God could pack so much beauty into the 5’2 frame that is my grandmother.

Question daily, how the literal meaning of Magic lies on her face, her journey from Mississippi to Maryland, and the way she raised two black bodies in this world not meant to love them.

I use to question all of these things, the validity of super powers in the first place until I started finding glimmers of star dust sprinkled strategically on every colored woman I’ve ever met.

Me, being the curious girl I’ve always been, I wanted to know what it was.

Wanted to taste a bit of stardust for myself.

When I finally got the glitter on my fingertips, I realized it was resilience.

I realized it was strength.

I realized it was power.

It was years.

It was centuries of brown girl buoyancy.

Never knowing where life may take you but knowing there was something more than this step.

It was taking steps, leaving countries and men, gaining education, finding yourself in all of this mess.

It was the voices of all of my ancestors, and all of your ancestors

Whispering sweet everything’s into skin and praying it would seep into their daughters.

And here we are daughters.

Glimmering and glistening like magic.

We are still taking steps.

Still following the path they lay diligently for us, creating our own ones if need be.

Pushing on and forward.

Despite all this world comes with.

Despite all being women of color comes with.

We are the strongest beings I’ve ever seen.

We form communities at kitchen tables.

Love, in our embraces with one another.

Hope, in all of us in this room right now.

Right now, we are resilient, strong, powerful.

We are all the things we’ve ever thought of being, but were far too afraid to pursue.

You are her.

The doctor, the lawyer, the astronaut, the rock star, the ballerina.

You are her.

You are everything you’ve ever wanted.

You have all the strength you’ve ever needed.

You are Magic."

-Naturallykbiggie, Colored Magic