I own a website called, "ChocolateBrides.Com" It's website for brides of color. I created this website as a result of pure frustration. When I planned my wedding almost 2 years ago, resources for the bride of color were extremely limited. It was difficult to get ideas for hairstyles, makeup tips for darker skin. The models in the mainstream wedding magazines did not represent me. She didn't have these hips. What was a bride to do?
So a co-worker of mine (who happens to be Caucasian) walked into the studio and noticed the words "Chocolate Brides" on my laptop. So he says in a confused tone, "Chocolate Brides?????" I proudly replied, "YES!!! Chocolate Brides! I created a website to help brides of color during the wedding planning process!"
He stood there for a minute and then with slight hesitation he said, "I get offended whenever I see things like the BLACK news, or EBONY, or whatever. Wouldn't you be offended if I brought a newspaper in that said, THE WHITE NEWS?
I didn't answer his question....but I did try to explain the reason for the need of magazines like Ebony, Essence, Black Enterprise, etc. I'm sure I did a decent job of explaining the reasons behind the existence of such publications . . . however, something tells me that he just didn't understand.
Nevertheless, I'm glad we had that conversation. Even if he doesn't completely understand, perhaps I gave him some food for thought. I'm good with that.
