The Cover of my Book is Black

Feb 8, 2024 | Culture, Work Culture

My mother always taught me to never judge a book by its cover but to make sure my cover matches my book because everyone doesn’t take time to read. As a young Black man growing up in America, she felt this was especially important for me to understand. I remember the day she told me “There are going to be people that don’t like you because of the color of your skin.” As I began to cry and ask her why, I could see that she was possibly in more pain than I was. Having to tell your child that even though we teach people not to judge a book by its cover, many people still do and my cover happens to be Black. It is a lesson that is still top of mind to this day. You can say I started my journey in marketing and culture and culture that day, after that conversation I was always mindful of the cover I was presenting. Making sure my pants were at my waist and that my hat wasn’t turned backward, making sure that when I met people I used language that reflected the educated person I am.

I have been fortunate in my life to grow up and be around a lot of diversity, which is something I have been able to maintain throughout my life. Even with all the work I’ve done on my cover, I have still had moments that made me feel icky inside. Like the time I was interning in IT and was called to fix a computer in the backroom of a retail space, and the women who were just so nice upfront politely came and grabbed their purses. It didn’t stop my sister from getting inappropriate comments made to her while working in costume at a historical site. It hasn’t stopped the collective cultural trauma of the atrocities that have been committed against countless people with the same cover as me. Being so acutely aware of my appearance as an individual, while knowing some people only see the worst actions of some people in that group regardless of our individuality is incredibly taxing.

When I loc’d my hair, I became even more aware of what my cover looked like. Walking into work for the first time with my locs, made me feel like I was completely naked and exposed. I didn’t know if people would think of me differently because my cover had changed. My mom didn’t like my hair, in fact, she hated it, not because of how it looked aesthetically, but because of how people would now interpret my cover. It has been a few years since I loc’d my hair and honestly, it has given me strength. It’s been one of the most freeing things I’ve ever done, to worry less about how people see my cover and focus more on how I feel inside. As humans, we are all flawed and tend to judge a book by its cover, but today I encourage you to look past your own biases and give people the chance to show you who they are as individuals.