2021 was going to be the year that I would finally make the trip back, a Christmas miracle after three years of coal. However, well after my tickets were booked and my hopes were raised, the Canadian government dropped the news that eight African countries, including my own, were banned due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The winds still blow and the leaves still fall.
Growing up, I had an unrealistic and unhealthy relationship with my hair. I described any version of my hair that wasn’t straight as “rough,” “unkempt” and “not good enough.”
The beauty and elegance beholden to our melanin shades is far too magical for the world to comprehend. There’s power in our walk, one filled with strength and resilience. There’s beauty in the way we talk; it is as beautiful as a lullaby being sung to a baby barely holding onto wakefulness.
2021 was a weird year and honestly, it’s hard to say much more than that about it.
In term two, I just hope to feel a bit more like myself again.
The task of making this text available to a large audience is a big one.
When did you last go exploring on campus?
Art grants people strength in times of uncertainty, it also allows us space to reflect on our identity and place in the world.
A collection of poems by Black students on Black resilience.
And I’m proud of you for that.
I still haven’t had a date on this holiday and I think it’s a relief.
Enjoy it. Make it unforgettable. Make it just the way you want it.
I promise to take better care of you.
But, without fail, the aspect people love about us most is our love for them, for others.