There's nothing more liberating - and frightening - than deciding to create instead of wait.
Let me explain.
I tend to get myself into trouble (good trouble) when I open my mouth or mind and say "I wish..." I'm usually wishing to see something, do something, have something, or visit somewhere. And I'm usually waiting for someone else to do the leg work in order to grant me my wish.
Lately, I've taken a bit more of a proactive approach to making my wishes come true in two big ways.
One day, I openly lamented the scantiness of parenting blogs run by non-White moms and dads in Canada. The next day, I stayed up til 5am buying domains, picking themes, setting up emails and social media accounts, and writing posts for The Brown Suga Mama.
One day, I read a piece about natural hair in the eyes of Canadian media from one woman's perspective, and openly wished to attend an event featuring Black Canadian women in the industry. Two hours later, Mirror Images: Conversations On Diversity & Representation In Media was born.
The presence of Black women in media has been a major talking point of late. Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, black-ish, Suits, and Sleepy Hollow frequently come up in discussion, opposing the images of Black women offered via reality show vehicles. Here in Canada, the recent Globe and Mail gaffe mixing up Traci Melchor and Tracy Moore led to discussions on the cross-race effect, or other-race bias. Arisa Cox's earlier-mentioned piece on being ordered to straighten her natural hair (and her decision to quit instead) was the final catalyst to the creation of Mirror Images. These points and more inspired me to forge a space to have an authentic conversation about the issues around diversity and representation in media, particularly from the perspective of Black Canadian women.
I find that the majority of conversations I engage in around race and media come from an American lens. Having those kinds of discussions here in Canada seems rare, but is not something we should be shying from. As I've said before, Canada's PR team is GOLDEN - we often snuggle under our cozy blanket of multiculturalism, but far too often we pull that blanket over our heads and refuse to discuss the nuances of that multiculturalism in various contexts. I'm hoping that Mirror Images will help us to pull that blanket down and bring light to a variety of issues from a Canadian perspective - this is a conversation that EVERYONE needs to be a part of.
I have an incredible panel line up:
Tatiana King: Radio Personality, G 98.7FM's "The African Groove Show" Arisa Cox: Freelance Journalist & Host of Big Brother Canada Kim Johnson: Producer, CityNews Nneka Elliott: Reporter/Anchor/Co-host, CP24 Breakfast Ingrie Williams: Stylist & Editor of HOLR Magazine Namugenyi Kiwanuka: Columnist & Videographer
These women are all representing various arms of Canadian media, and will all bring rich perspectives and experiences to the table. With these women, I hope to foster an important discussion and allow room for new connections to be made. If you're in the media industry, aim to be, create content, or consume media, this event is for you. Mirror Images sponsors Harlem Restaurant, R Flavour, Soulafrodisiac, and Caribbean Vibrations TV all believe in the vision of the event, and the support has been amazing. Like I said at the start of this post, creating the things you wish for is liberating yet frightening - but genuine support helps to alleviate some of those jitters.
I'm hoping you'll be able to show support as well - if you're in the Toronto area, please join us for Mirror Images: Conversations On Diversity & Representation In Media on Sunday, October 26th from 1:30-5pm at Harlem Restaurant (67 Richmond Street East)! Tickets are $10 and available here on Brown Paper Tickets.
Mara Brock Akil's acceptance speech at the 2013 Black Girls Rock award show has stuck with me since I first heard it. She stated "My work is driven by my belief that the human spirit needs validation," and continued to let us know, "Even if no one else sees you, I see you." With Mirror Images, I want us to be seen, to be heard, to be validated, and to be respected. That's what I wish for.