Nayara Justino thought her dreams had come true when she was selected as the Globeleza carnival queen in 2013 after a public vote on one of Brazil's biggest TV shows. Subscribe to The Guardian ► http://is.gd/subscribeguardian But some regarded her complexion to be too dark to be an acceptable queen.

While I am happy for Nayara Justino... and I know that there is a good percentage of the populace that needs to be struck in the head with the reality of that barbaric, satanic, historical experience...
I do not have it in me to watch another TV or Cinema production about the Black "slave" experience.
I just can't.
There are many that are intimidated by the grandeur of Black world history. They are afraid that, to address the whole of Black culture and personality would diminish theirs.
But when has that ever happened?
Where in history have we done anything but enhance and enrich every thing around us?
Who can say that they are not better for Black style and influence... and say it without Black contributions to their "voice"?
We are more than just the result of oppression and abuse. We have more to say than to scream out in pain...
"We" are everyone. "We" own everyone's stories.
This is why I art.
I want to help to show the world a complete human existence, one "work" at a time...
And help it be made whole.
Ambitious?
So be it.

~ Grey

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These concepts have evolved over many late night conversations... born out of pain and love and laughter. As a Black woman and a Spanish language teacher, it was quite natural that my sister would translate "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud" to Spanish. This and that 30 Rock episode starring Tracy Morgan, prompted me to research how to say "Black" in every language.

“I’ve learned the word ‘black’ in every language, just so I know when to be offended. Russian “tcherny,” Korean “heug-in [hooking],” dolphin “eeee eeee eee eeee.””

— Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock: Season 4: Episode 17

Source: UnlikelyWords.com [*hooking edited to "heug-in" or "흑인"]

I came across an abundance of enthusiastic databases of ethnic slurs (for the sake of academic research, of course..). Digging a little deeper, I found that Black people were often called a term that was rooted in racist etymology by the "majority" of that country (e.g., derivative of slave, non-believer). I was on the hunt for what we called ourselves around the globe...a color in some cases... a tribe in others. The time frame deliberately spanned beyond the "transatlantic slave" era. This activity led me inward to a memory of my father, who, during parent's weekend, drove around my small New England college campus blasting James Brown's song, "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud!" I've only begun to scratch the surface on what identifying and celebrating Blackness means to me, as an American, as a woman and as a person raised in a third culture *mix of Black and Korean.

Our translation of "Black" in our "Black in Every Language" design:

Black – English
Negro – Spanish
Noir – French
Nwa – Haitian Creole
Oji – Igbo
Dudu – Yoruba
Preta – Portuguese
Nyeusi – Swahili

Whatever the language, we encourage all to #sayitLOUD! We would love to hear your thoughts! Connect with us on twitter at @MultiPATRIOT or @populistdemand.

Thank you for your time.

~ Onjena Yo

[For the folks in the cheap seats passing notes, you can be proud, too... Black is beautiful, too... Black lives matter, too... Black girls rock, too... but it ain't always about you, too...]

BLACK: SAY IT LOUD Design Series by Onjena Yo

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