Chase your dreams
I think no matter what colour skin or background you have, you should always chase your dreams. Color doesn’t matter, it’s about what’s inside you. When I was a little girl there was no n’t much color on tv or at my school.
But children don’t look at and now in 2021, there are many changes going on in the world and there is much more possible. More than ever we need role models, we still need them. So let me be that voice and face to show how it can be.
Like Marian Wright Edelman an American child advocate once said: color, they look at you as a person. The differences become more obvious when you are older. My roots are from Suriname and the Caribbean, but I was born and raised here in the Netherlands. So I’m a mix of three cultures, I’m a melted melanin.
” You need role models. Someone you can identify yourself with, someone who is just like you.”
Growing up as a teenager can be quite a challenge, let alone if you feel like you are living in three worlds. As a teenager, I felt different. Where did I belong? When I grew up, I didn’t realize you need role models. Someone you can identify yourself with, someone who is just like you. It helps you as a person.
Role models
Now that I’m older I realize it is necessary to have role models, someone who can be that example for you. Looking back I now know that I certainly had my role models: Off course there were Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, wauw such strong beautiful melanin women! But more close to home (literally), were my mother and my aunt that example for me. They are truly powerful women, strong and independent! At a young age they came here in The Netherlands, without their parents, family or even a guideline to live and work in another country. They showed me that life isn’t always easy, but when you are positive and work hard, you can achieve whatever you want! My whole family exists of strong and independent women. I’m very proud to be part of that!
Model: Heera Dijk Photo: New Monkey Photography
Nowadays, in 2021, there are many changes going on in the world and there are so much more possibilities. We need role models now more than ever! We need them at all times. So let me be that voice and face to show how it can be done. Like Marian Wright Edelman an American child advocate once said:
‘You can’t be, what you can’t see.’
That’s my purpose! To be an example. That is why I’ve chosen this Melanin Wonder Platform, which has such a great reach!
Photo credits:
New Monkey Photography
