"I have two grandmothers: one White, the other Black. When I was young—around six years old, a very formative age for me—my white grandmother told me that because I am a girl, I would have to work twice as hard as men to prove myself in this world. And, since I look Black, make that four times as hard.
Combining that with my black grandmother’s diatribes on how my race would have relegated me to slavery in the nineteenth century, it’s no wonder I preferred the company of my grandfather at the local hotdog shop. It never felt right to me then, and it still doesn’t now, to create limitations for others based on such superficialities as race or gender—although, of course, I lacked the vocabulary at six years old to express my distaste.
Reminiscing, I realize that where my vocabulary was lacking, my instincts were immediately reactive; I decided to just keep working, learning, and refining harder. Now, all these years later, that instinct still exists.
I won't say that it wasn't discouraging listening to my grandmothers, because it was. My personality, however, prevents me from sulking; instead, it encourages me to just keep grinding—an attitude which has never failed to bring me success.
It's hard to believe we have so much power over our own lives that we can change the projection others have for us. Many times we're told we have no power, but that isn't true. It's just a cheap, lazy way of convincing us not to use our power because it's more convenient for others if we don't.
I have tried before to shrink myself—to fit more neatly into a box that other people can accept, one that matches their physical perception of me, whatever that perception might be. Throughout the years, it’s been fun jolting people with my intelligence, my tenacity, my willpower, and my work ethic—refusing to fit so cleanly into the boxes they construct.
This is why I find identity politics so tedious and stupid. I’ve been underestimated by people my entire life, and society believes that further repetition of demeaning racial tropes is how we get to a better place? Inanity.
For this reason, 5Mind Media™ is not meant to cater to a particular identity—not even my own. It is truly meant for everyone. My hope is to inspire you out of the generational funk that has kept you, and the vibrational frequency of the entire planet, down for centuries.
Underestimation and outdated perceptions are exactly why the West is in the mess it’s in right now. Eventually, one's underestimation works against the self, not the perceived target. Yes, I am a woman of color who wears makeup and watches hairstyle tutorials, then turns on an episode of Blackadder. I jam out to Doechii and meditate to Bach, only to then blast some Led Zeppelin. I’m obsessed with the light, but equally willing to investigate the dark.
I’m a myriad of multigenerational American experiences. Can you handle that?
I am truly apathetic to attention for its own sake, opting instead to prove myself through dedication and work over mindless faffing and boasting. I have a craft and a grind; people who respect the craft respect the time it takes to execute it.
I am strategic, yes. Cautious, even more so; yet I am relentless to the end when in feverish pursuit of my desire. If you cannot understand any of that, then we are at an impasse.
💙 Chris
