Welcome!
Maybe you’re here after being on my Instagram page. Maybe you found this site after seeing my Tumblr. However you came, I want to give you a warm welcome to The Joyous Jasmine main blog and website. Thanks for dropping in! Hi, I’m Mimi, and this blog post will serve as an introduction to me and the kind of writing and topics this blog will be focused on.
A Bit About Me
I’m a devoted follower of Christ, teen girl, and, oh yes, Black! All of the aforementioned aspects of myself are an integral part of my life, and therefore, my writing and art. I’ve received regional and statewide awards for poetry exploring what it’s like to be Black and female and woke in the U.S. I am Black out loud. But I haven't always been this way.
Where Are the (Non-Stereotypical) Black People in My Favorite Books?
Looking back on the stories I wrote and the pictures I drew in elementary school, hardly any of my characters looked like me: none of them had my kinky curly natural hair and dark brown skin. It wasn’t because I was ashamed of my Blackness. It wasn’t even a conscious choice to draw and make up stories about Caucasian people. I wrote and drew what I saw: Disney didn’t have any Black princesses at the time. The majority of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi novels didn’t have highly-melanated characters. The TV shows I watched often had one or two Black characters apiece, but I related more to the white characters because the Black ones were often based off of stereotypes with little or no character arcs of their own whatsoever.
When I finally read Rick Riordan’s fantasy Heroes of Olympus series and Kane Chronicles in the sixth grade, I became so excited. There were Black (!) characters in children’s fantasy that I could relate to. They had distinct personalities and were well-developed and thought out and I loved them very dearly. Rick Riordan actually talked about race in his books. I’d read books where Black characters’ race was mentioned...but it was always in books about the American slave era and the civil rights movement. Those narratives were and still are very important, as we cannot downplay the horrific and long-lasting impact that slavery and the past and current oppression and devaluation of Black people and their experiences have had and continue to have on the U.S. But what kind of message does it send to Black children when the only narratives that include characters that look like them (where the author actually mentions/acknowledges their race) are about slaves or fighting against white supremacy? Especially when they are repeatedly shown that stories about white people can be about pretty much anything?
Asking Questions and Finding Black Media
I was in my first year of high school when I really began to delve into the intersecting worlds of racial justice and feminism through my writing. I questioned everything: why were the angels in church (and Jesus for that matter) always Caucasian-esque? Why did some white people want to touch my hair...and feel entitled enough to touch it without my permission? Where were all the Black female protagonists?
Things were getting better of course; I discovered books like Kindred and The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, and Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star. Movies like Black Panther. TV shows like Black-ish. My little Black nerd self was delighted.
Why This Blog Exists
But there’s still room for more stories. The kind of stories I was looking for as a little Black girl. As a middle-grade Black girl. In my community, there was still a lack of understanding among my white brothers and sisters of problems that affected Black people specifically. Crucial conversations about harmful stereotypes glossed over. The budding Black writers I knew were writing stories in which people who looked like them were relegated to the background or best friend roles only. People were still trying to touch my hair.
There was still change to be made. There still is. That’s why I started this blog. This blog will be a space to discuss and analyze the portrayal of people of color in the media. I’ll be writing my own stories and making portions of them available to you. This blog will become home to poems born from joy, confusion, and a need to spread the truth and seek justice. This blog will have an ongoing thread- I am on a constant journey of seeking joy and justice. I am sharing this journey in order to spark healing and joy, as well as provide food for thought and motivate you, my fellow creators, to create works that reflect the diversity and range of this world.
Comment Section Policy
In a recent Instagram post, I shared an art piece entitled “Together We Grow, Together We Bloom.” That mentality applies to the comment section. We can disagree. I’ll ask questions at the end of my posts because I genuinely want to hear your perspectives and testimony. Your opinion might not always be congruent with mine. That’s okay. But this blog is about growth. We can’t grow if we’re chopping each other down. A garden is full of flowers that look and smell different from one another, and that’s part of what makes a garden so beautiful. This world is full of people who have different experiences, beliefs, and perspectives. I think that makes the world beautiful. However, please ask yourself the following questions before you comment:
- Am I being respectful?
- Is this comment relevant to the topic discussed in the blog?
- Does what I am about to comment include language that is appropriate? (ex. free of profanity, threats, direct attacks on an individual, or abusive language)
If the answer to any of the above is no, then do not post that comment. I, as the owner of this blog, reserve the right to delete or edit any comments that are not consistent with the guidelines I have set out without notification. This comment policy is subject to change at any time. It is my sincerest hope that through thoughtful and analytical discussion, we can grow together.
Interested in more of my art and poetry? Check out my Instagram page @thejoyousjasmine. Want to collaborate? Comment below or message me on Tumblr. Ready for more? Check out my blog posts on default whiteness in Y.A. literature and my analysis of Hamilton: An American Musical.