Not a worry in the world?
Caribbean Life, NOVEMBER 12-18, 2021 33
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You used to like to skip.
Filled with delight, you
danced down the sidewalk,
not minding at all who was
watching. Back then, your body
moved with exuberance, your
legs took you everywhere fast,
you jumped and rolled and
reached and it was joyful. So
what happened between then
and now that keeps you from
that happiness? As in the new
book “Carefree Black Girls” by
Zeba Blay, you became a Black
woman.
Over the course of the last
few years, Zeba Blay says she’s
felt as though she was “spiraling,”
emotionally. Outside forces,
politics, racial issues, violence,
misogyny affected her so
strongly that she became reclusive
and, she says, “attempted to
take my own life, twice.”
As a writer, she “constantly,
maybe even obsessively”
thinks “about what it means
to be a Black woman” today.
What she came to realize about
the subject is something that
many people don’t understand:
“Black women are everything.”
They are celebrated, emulated
in fashion and song, they are
teachers, influencers, designers,
trend-setters, activists, and
sometimes, their stories aren’t
told or are told in ways that are
wrong.
Despite, for instance, that
Lizzo is obviously comfortable
in her own body, too many people
still openly fat-shame her
and other Black women for
their size. The old trope about
Black women being “freaks”
goes back to slavery and today,
it’s harming relationships. Black
girls’ experience is stereotyped,
and Black women have such
a reputation of being “strong”
that some are afraid of showing
vulnerability. Black women
aren’t just judged on the color
of their skin, they’re judged by
the darkness and lightness of it,
and if this sounds angry, well,
that’s another subject: why are
“angry Black women” so stereotyped?
Book cover of “Carefree Black Girls.”
Either way, for many Black
women, it’s like walking on
eggshells, always “acutely aware
of the confinements of an
existence… that others do not
have…”
Take a good look at the subtitle
of “Carefree Black Girls.”
See the indication of a “celebration”?
If that’s what you’re looking
for – a confetti-and-cake
gala about the achievements of
Black women – you’re going to
be disappointed. Nope, there’s
some fêting of African American
women in this book but
mostly, author Zeba Blay (who
is credited for first using the
hashtag #carefreeblackgirls)
writes about the many ways
that a Black woman can be
perceived negatively or even in
ways that are harmful.
There’s no celebration in
that, as Blay shows. Using her
own experiences as guiderails,
she points out many of the ways
society fails to give Black women
the respect they deserve, instead
heaping criticism or worse,
often when they’re just living
their lives. Alas, Blay doesn’t
offer much that can be done to
counter this, although her list
of “moments when I felt truly
free” may give some hints.
But will readers just be
frustrated by then? It’s possible;
although achievements
are mentioned and portraits
of influential Black women are
included, the “celebration” is
smaller than you might expect.
You may love “Carefree Black
Girls” or it may be something
you’ll decide to skip.
“Carefree Black Girls:
A Celebration of Black
Women in Popular Culture”
by Zeba Blay
c.2021, St. Martin’s
Press
$16.99 / $22.99 Canada
260 pages
Zeba Blay author of “Carefree Black Girls.” Sylvie Rosokoff
Richie Stephens goes ‘Crazy’ with new music video
By Nelson A. King
The music video for an upbeat,
dancehall-tinged, Latin, Afrobeat
single “Crazy” by singer Richie
Stephens dropped on Friday,
Nov. 5.
The fast-rising single, which
features Stephens’ exquisite
baritone vocals, comes on the
heels of his successful 14-track
disc, “Mother & Son,” with his
mother, Mama Carmen, which
was released on Pot of Gold &
Dubshot Records, according to
Jamaican entertainment publicist
Anthony Turner.
Turner told Caribbean Life
that “Crazy” was produced by
Shaka Pow of Outfytt Records
(Jamaica) and Chris Thomas of
I.W.A.A.D Music (New York), and
was released in early September.
“The track made an immediate
impact in the ethnic market,
and is currently enjoying
rotation on stations in Jamaica,
the USA, Canada and the UK,”
he said. “The visuals for ‘Crazy’,
which was directed by Xtreme
Arts, is expected to capture the
imagination of music lovers
worldwide.”
Turner said “Crazy” features
Dance Xpressionz, a professional
dance company, which, since its
inception, has won over 20 medals
and national trophies, and
over 15 major awards, including
Dance Group of the Year and
Best International Dance Group.
“I feel very satisfied with this
new track, and I am equally
proud of the music video, which
will help to further galvanize
support for the song,” Stephens
said.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Jamaican music
ambassador said he has been
busy with various philanthropic
projects – something he has
enjoyed doing for the past 30
years.
He was a recent guest performer
on events for the Ardenne
Alumni Association (Atlanta);
the Knox College Alumni
(New York), the Godfrey Stewart
Alumni (New York), and was
a guest speaker and performer
on “Celebrating the West Indian
Spirit- Kitchen Table Talk,” a virtual
event hosted by the American
Friends of the University of
the West Indies (AFUWI) that
raised over US$40K for final year
students at the University of the
West Indies for academic year
2021-2022.
Other participants included
former Prime Minister of Jamaica
PJ Patterson; Angela Yee (The
Breakfast Club radio personality
& entrepreneur); Oliver Samuels
(comedian, actor and playwright)
and Lorraine Toussaint (actress,
advocate and producer).
“I felt honored to have been
invited by AFUWI to help raise
funds for UWI students who
desperately need assistance,”
Stephens said. “These students
will be the doctors, lawyers, engineers
and nurses of tomorrow.”