Black is beautiful!

This is the concept local award-winning poet Dempstu “DJ Simmons” Simmons is encouraging children in Barbados to embrace as they reflect on their African heritage.

Speaking during a lunchtime lecture on the topic “Black is Beautiful”, at the Grand Salle yesterday, Simmons told the group of students that attended that their African history makes them beautiful and so does the colour of their skin.

He also asked them to refrain from laughing at any of their peers who may have darker skin tones.

“Please do not make fun and laugh at people because they have a darker skin tone than you do, that is not nice. We all have different skin tones and we must all embrace the skin tone we were born with. If someone is darker than you that does not mean that they are any less of a person that you, they are beautiful in their own unique way – as we all are,” he said.

The poet who advocates for Barbadians to embrace their African history through his creative pieces, also informed the students that the way they dance, the music they listen to, the way they talk and food they eat, are all influenced by their African culture.

“It is okay to express yourselves. We are a creative people. You may find that you might want to dance, you might want to sing, don’t hold it back, pursue it!” he urged.

“We have to remember the reasons why we are beautiful and a lot of that comes through art, it comes through rhythm and it comes through being expressive. Black people – got energy. Black people – naturally got this rhythm. People come from all over the world to see our culture, don’t ever think that, that ain’t true,” he added.

The lunchtime lecture coincided with the Mount Pisgah Spiritual Baptist church African Awareness Month exhibition which was held this week. (AH)