Wrapping Up 2021's "Tackling Internalized Anti-Blackness" Classes

This week was the final week for our anti-blackness classes and we asked our students to create a final project to showcased what they learned. Our students made amazing final projects to reflect on what we learned these past eight weeks and how to tackle their own antiblackness. We love the artistry, vulnerability, and thoughtfulness that all our students put into their projects.

This final project (pictured above) talks about what one student learned over the class:

“The class helped me understand how white supremacy and anti-blackness are in every aspect of our life. I picture it as a hellish city landscape. In the air we breathe are colorist and anti-Black beauty standards that prioritize lighter skin and nonblack people. In our everyday lives, we pay social taxes and gain social privileges based on how much we conform to white supremacy. The foundation of our city is built on billions of dollars in skin bleaching industries, hair straightening industries, prison labor, and other industries that support white supremacy. And under it all is a history of pain and genocide. The other image in this diptych talks about anti-Black stereotypes that hurt Black women, such as the “Mammy” caricature, the “Sapphire”, the “Jezebel”, and it’s modern day versions of “Black Best Friend” and “Strong Black Woman”. Knowing the history and breaking down these stereotypes is really changing the way I interact with Black folks in my everyday life and helping me critique the media I watch a lot more. It’s eye opening in terms of my everyday anti-Blackness.”