Representation - On Seeing & Being Seen
Representation, defined as the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way. It is also defined as the depiction of someone or something in a work of art, literature, film or social conscious. To expand on the above definition, in addition to being a portrayal or depiction of someone, what of how it is viewed or effects of said representation?
We live in an image and content rich age, meaning what most of us understand of our immediate and broader world is informed by the art, literature, films, digital content and images we consume. Our individual realities are at heart the sum of all we socially and culturally we absorb. A fact to be seriously considered in being a Multi-racial and/or Multi-cultural family, more so living in a Eurocentric dominant socio-cultural space.
If we are the sum of all we socially and culturally absorb, then what about what our children socially and culturally consume? For those of us that are of African or Diaspora descent, that have grown up in Eurocentric areas, we have lived the disconnect and at times isolation of moving through these spaces where we were one of handful if not the single person-of-colour, outside of immediate family. Some of us for whatever our reasons chose to conform with the stereotypes or Eurocentric standards, while some of us chose to rebel or transcend. In knowing this dissonance in not having your being, your personhood validated, reflected positively or beyond stereotyping then would we not want better for our children-of-colour?
On the other hand there are those of us that in being White in the very same Eurocentric areas being unaware or taking for granted that our experiences as White persons in these Eurocentric spaces are universal for everyone. We assume that the art, literature, films, digital content and images produced predominantly featuring those that look like us, speaks to everyone within the space we inhabit. If only we would expand our default worldview to appreciate that there are multiple realities, all of which are valid and valuable. And to be fair, there are some of us on that are on that journey as a result of parenting children-of-colour or being in a relationship with a person-of-colour or simply out of wanting to grow as an individual.
Being conscious of sincere and respectful representation and its importance in parenting multi-hyphenate children means laying down a foundation of possibilities. Possibilities in the identities our children could someday take on, possibilities in aspirations and dreams our children can have, possibilities in enforcing a positive and balanced ‘racial’, social, cultural, sexual identity, possibilities in equipping our children with the language and tools to counter or challenge potential stereotypes, possibilities in empowering our children to live outside and beyond said potential stereotypes, possibilities in raising empathetic and curious children, possibilities in our children using these representative references in defining themselves, and ultimately possibilities in cultivating a secure sense of self in our children-of-colour.
While historically, the content most of us have and continue to engage with skews American - European, it is exciting to know we live in an age of a gradually increasing representative and revisionist media. It is due to the democratising nature of the internet, globalisation and a developing Global South, that there are narratives that honour and speak to the compelling and empowering plural lived realities of persons of colour. Art, literature, films and television, digital content produced by persons of African or Diaspora descent for their peers, Allies and the persons of African or Diaspora descent and Allies of tomorrow.