The term wellness means different things for different groups of people. As a wellness & self-care brand, we believe it is important to speak about the fact that our bath soaks, though a wonderful way to soothe sore muscles at the end of a stressful day, can not serve as a solution for our broken criminal justice system that disproportionately imprisons the men in our black communities. In the same way, our Clarify green clay Mask is great for acneic & irritated skin, but it is not a solution in any way for the fact that young black women go missing at alarming rates in this country and their absences barely even make our local news stations.
It is easy and fun and carefree to be into wellness when your skin is white, the system will catch you when you fall onto hard times with money or you are not feeling “fulfilled.” Taking care of yourself when you are black, is a matter of survival.
A friend of ours, on Instagram as @kiiarashee, wrote that self-care for people of color, women especially, is “caring for yourself when the majority doesn’t.” The wellness brands you support should commit to understanding that simple truth. Wellness, though a necessity, is also a luxury, in the same way. For more insight into the idea of self-care as self-preservation, we suggest that you read any and all work by Audre Lorde.
As additional resources for you if you are looking to understand the black experience, please see:
- Between the World & Me by Ta Nehisi Coates
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- Conversations From The Heart with Rachel Brathen - How to be a True Ally to Women of Color featuring Rachel Elizabeth Cargle