Jasmine’s piece first appeared on her personal blog here on April 16th. It has been reposted with her permission.
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I wish my black sisters didn’t feel like they had to be mixed to be beautiful.

I wish that they knew they were more than a skin tone.

I wish they didn’t feel like they had to wear makeup that was 3-4 shades lighter on their face, only to have make-up all over their clothes, as we see them trying to hide their skin.

I wish that they knew that black IS beautiful.

I wish they would celebrate the hair that comes out of their head.

I wish they knew that white does NOT equal right.

I wish that they didn’t think that weaves and perms are the way to make them more beautiful.

I wish they understood that the Lord makes no mistakes. None. And that their natural skin, natural hair, are all gifts from Him.

I wish my black sisters could live in a world that did not teach them to hate themselves.

I wish my black sisters were celebrated more.

I wish my black sisters knew that they are more than their features. They are worth more than being reduced to a bunch of stereotypes. They are made in the image of God, with dignity and respect.

I wish my black sisters would find their identity in Christ, and not in what America thinks of them. You are beautiful, you are loved. It is okay to be you.

And I hope, my black sisters who have found their identity in Christ, will teach others who haven’t, what it means to love Jesus, what it means to be conformed to His image. How His grace frees you from the bondage of self-hate. How His grace covers your sin and your poor self image. That with repentance and faith in Christ, you are accepted by the Lord.

I long for the day when my black sisters are free to be that…. black sisters. Natural and beautiful. Dark and light. Kinky and curly. Thick and thin. It all starts with an image greater than our own; an imagine of the invisible God: Jesus.