"God Saw that it was Good"

Words on cover:
“The Creation”
"God Saw that it was Good"
When did you forget what your skin can do?

Details:
112pp.
5x7.25'“

Materials:
tusk seashells, brass beads, black micro poms, various paper

Notes:
I watched a lecture on the science of melanin and it blew my mind how powerful it is. And to think the West designed a social structure and systems designed to disenfranchise those who are melanin-rich. Dark skin is condescended while light-pale skin is venerated across the world as near-celestial. Any form of believing that rich, brown skin is “ugly” is successful Western programming—a mindset that cannot enter the next generation. They handed us beliefs contrary to the truth because they traveled all over the world and saw that everyone else had melanin but them. Many of our people bought the lie that their skin was synonymous with “god” or holiness or morality and uprightness, oblivious to how they dedicated themselves to studying US. This skin is more than a passport or a way to hear a beat differently (melanin in the inner ear); it’s the epidermis of original peoples, first peoples—an indication of our significance on this planet. We must document ourselves with understanding what our skin means to us and our descendants beyond the literal and into the poetic, prophetic, and futuristic.

So much is stolen from us as original peoples because we deny the beauty and power of our skin. And yet melanin is sold at top dollar all around the world and organs from melanated peoples are purchased at prime rates for their DNA’s power. To be ignorant of this is to be ignorant of why the West needs us ignorant of our power, our glory, and why our being distracted and entertained is the prime position for us to maintain our ignorance to this natural gift we have in our skin alone.