Black Unison — Voices of Makeup Artists
Journalist and stylist Zadrian Smith in conversation with Black makeup artists Ashunta Sheriff- Kendricks, Sir John Barnett and Tasha Reiko Brown on how tracing our roots back to Africa, education, self- love and mental health are key to dismantling systems of oppression and discrimination.
Working on “Black Unison” for WWD has been a cathartic process, allowing me to connect with my community on a level I never imagined possible. It’s been an honor to host all the amazingly talented Black professionals, whose unique experiences and voices are testaments to the power of perseverance, community and support, within and without the fashion and beauty industries.
My final panel with makeup artists Ashunta Sheriff-Kendricks, Sir John Barnett and Tasha Reiko Brown continues to address the issues of racism and discrimination these creatives have experienced in their careers, but the biggest takeaway is in the solutions they have provided for moving forward, which are centered around education, mental health and self-love and empowerment.
Nigerian musician Seun Kuti believes, “The answer to being Black is to become African.” Sheriff-Kendricks agrees. “To identify with Africa means we identify with a rich cultural history that predates slavery. Black Americans were born here. So, when we are Black, we are all of this country, everything that has happened to us from the 1400s and on, but if we are African, we are antiquity and we are beyond a time that we even understand,” she explains.
African history has been erased from most textbooks: stories of immense wealth, royalty, spirituality and generations of powerful kings and queens have been suppressed to sustain a narrative of white supremacy. Braids, beads, jewels and makeup all have African origins, but colonialism across the globe has whitewashed our culture and community. Sheriff-Kendricks, who also has a degree in anthropology, says: “You have to have knowledge of self. That is part of the problem, because when you don’t know your history, you don’t know where you’re going.”
She grew up reading texts such as
“The Destruction of Black Civilization” and “They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America” and has passed on her knowledge to her children, hoping to restore the truth and create a future of true freedom.
Social media has also played a critical role in liberating voices that for too long have been silenced. Barnett believes “social media has brought us into the future. I think it’s so powerful the fact you don’t have to be a supermodel. You don’t have to be in the fashion industry. ►