Black and Brown Love

One of my greatest prides as a brown woman with a Pakistani-American background is the diversity of my friendships. Not only in race and ethnicity, but also diversity in thought, perspective, and ideas. Since coming to UNC, I have been very blessed with being able to meet several talented and bright individuals who I am honored to call my friends. One experience though that I have been immensely grateful for is my exposure to black culture through my fellow African-American students. 

My first contact to this realm of culture occurred in the Spring of my freshman year before COVID-19 had hit the US. I needed to take a class for my Literary Arts Gen-Ed requirement, and I came across a class that was being taught on Post-Apocalyptic Fiction by Black Feminist Authors. “What an odd intersection” I thought. I had never imagined a class as specific as this, so when I saw it had open seats on ConnectCarolina, I went ahead and registered for it. 

Despite my interest in the class, I remember still feeling initially like an imposter when I actually attended the class on FDOC of Spring 2020. The student body of the class was a majority of black women, many of whom were juniors and seniors majoring in African American Diaspora Studies or English. My professor, Petal Samuel, was very inclusive to me and the handful of us who didn’t identify as black. She welcomed all schools of thoughts, all personal experiences, and all ideas good or bad. 

The students I worked with as well were so much more welcoming and inclusive than I initially thought. As we discussed the novel we were reading or the articles to be analyzed, my black peers listened intently to me as I voiced my ideas. Instead of initially shutting them down like I imagined, they built on them, and offered me new insights and perspectives that I wouldn’t have thought of before. 

My favorite memory in the class though occurred two weeks before Spring Break. We all came into class and Professor Samuel put on a short film created by black animators titled “Hair Love.” By the end of the video, my black female classmates were all in tears. I wasn’t however, because I wasn’t able to emphasize with them. On that day, I learned how much of a treasure a black woman’s hair is to herself. It is a part of her identity that differentiates herself from the rest. It is a quality of uniqueness, culture, and beauty. In this day and age, we often give black hair a bad reputation as being “unkempt” or “unprofessional” when in reality, it is the work of these pre-existing white social structures that continue to classify it with a negative connotation. 

It was from this moment onward that I took the steps to not only continue educating myself about black culture and value, but also to educate my family and brown friends who never had access to this insightful learning before. As our generation attempts to grow into an age of inclusivity and unity, it is important that we take the steps to educate ourselves to the fullest extent possible about what it exactly means to be inclusive. The best part about this is that it doesn’t mean you have to be enrolled or registered in a specialized class or study through a textbook. Rather than that, taking the time to talk with your fellow black brothers and sisters, whether professionally or casually, is a great way to learn more.