Black Media Magic

Racial representation in the media is the locus of this article. The author describes her initial pride in being a Black child. Ihejirika mother was a Women’s Studies professor, so she was introduced to heavy academic terms such as systemic racism, visible minority, and gender politics at a young age. Ihejirika documents the decline of her Black pride which, in this case, began in fourth grade. She had just returned from Nigeria and was reintroduced to an environment where being Black meant being Othered. She recalls an incident when, after mustering all the courage she had, she asked a group of girls if she they could give her a temporary tattoo as well. She says, “I remember my request being politely declined because the tattoos would not show up on my skin. After that, it became difficult to take pride in something that my peers considered strange – so I gave up embracing my identity in order to be accepted by them.” Growing from these experiences, of experiences that lacked representation and visibility, the author concludes the article by emphasizing the importance events like the Montreal Black International Film Festival. Representation matters because there are young Black children out there, searching for their idols.