''A Pink One''

To this day I still can't believe that this story is true but my mother swears by it! 

The madre and I moved to Ireland when I was about 2 years old to a small village in Wicklow where we were literately the only black people.

I went to the village crèche from Monday-Friday where I would play and interact with other kids/teachers who had extremely strong Irish accents which I ended up picking up. 

This story starts on a Friday evening when my mother put me in the tub where I begin to tell her what my friend Becky had said to me. 

It was so long ago but I can tell you now that I can still remember Becky, we played hair-dresser-hair-dresser and I used Fanta as pretend water to wash her hair and got into trouble. She was such a snake uno, 'cause she's the one who said I should do it even though I told her that it was a bad idea she insisted and then she started crying out of nowhere saying I did it and she never said that I could do it. kmt. Anyway back to the story: 

''Becky called me nigger'' my mother stopped and looked at me for a second,

 ''she said what?'' 

''mum Becky called me nigger'' my mother was mortified! 

''a nigger Erica?'' 

''yes mum''

''are you sure?''

''yes'' she couldn't believe it!

''don't say that word again okay?''

''okay''

''was there anyone around when she said it?'' 

''yah Caroline' (one of the adults) was there''

''did she say anything?''

 ''no she just laughed'' my mum was ready to F-I-G-H-T! Over the course of the weekend she kept asking me over and over again ''did she call you nigger?'' and I would tell her over and over again ''yes mum''

NB: please, I beg you please! don't say anything that may offend a black kid (or Italians they are even worse)their mother will COME FOR YOU! you will NEVER win an argument with a black woman about her child even if she's wrong she will make herself right,don't even waste your time. 

She was going APE! ready to sue and everything all she was waiting for was Monday morning that's when it was gonna go down. 

So let's fast forward to Sunday night as I'm getting in the bath she asks me one more time

 ''Erica what did Becky say?'' 

''She called me nigger'' 

''Erica are you sure she said that?''

''yah mum,it was a pink one'' 

my mum was confused ''a pink one?'' 

''yah a pink one'' 

''what do you mean?'' So I got out of the bath and waddled to the laundry basket and placed it in her hands ''it's a pink one'' and gave her the knickers I was wearing that day. ''Knickers Erica?''

''yes nigger'' ''Becky said 'my knickers' ''

Because of my Irish accent 'knickers' sounded like 'nigger' to my mother, which is completely understandable seeing as they sound identical if you have an Irish accent, All she could do was laugh it off. 

My mother was ready to sue because a girl said she could see ''my (k)niggers''.  

~ Wangari x 

If they won't let us be pretty let us be breathtaking:

Black Girl Chronicles ~ a factual written account of important or historical events that have occurred in said black girls life. 

My brother was born in 2002 to our mother a Ugandan and his Irish father which would leave him to be mixed race. I was over the moon to find out that I would have a sibling and was anticipating his birth, Peering into the crib I wondered why he was lighter in complexion,I was five and didn't understand that a product of black and white makes beige but none the less I was still happy to have a younger brother. 

I asked my mother about this and she laughed saying if I scrubbed harder when I took a bath I would soon become as brown as my brother. 

Some may say that this was the perfect time for her to give me a 'no baby girl you're perfect just the way you are' speech which she has given me time and time again but really it was just a way to make sure I knew how to clean myself. she would fully motivate me, 'OH! you look lighter! scrub harder you're almost there!' 

Later I realised that it was impossible and I was stuck with this dark skin. 

I remember praying once for God to make me lighter. 

At the age of five without knowing I was already trying to be like 'Ashley and Amber' already wanting a different complexion. At the age of five I wished for my hair to be blonde and my eyes to be blue. Are these things a five year old should be thinking about?   

Black females have been programmed to think that lighter is better,the more Caucasian the better,The longer the weave the better.

Now don't get me wrong Erica loves her some good weave but really it doesn't compare to my own NATURAL hair. 

God made our skin dark like the earth which grows vegetation, dark like the night sky without it the stars wouldn't be seen,Our hair coarse as the wool of a lamb, Isn't God a shepherd? Why are we not proud of who we are? Can we stop trying to replicate others and look like ourselves?

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where I was told continuously that I was beautiful just the way I was,but not everyone is as lucky as I am. One day I hope that young black girls will grow up to see themselves as queens to appreciate their skin tone,their curly hair,their deep brown eyes and their full lips All humans have these things yet black females are told that we aren't ''pretty'' What is pretty?  

If they won't let us be pretty let us be breathtaking. 

''You can't eat beauty,You can't rely on the way you look to sustain you,what actually sustains us what is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and those around you that kind of beauty inflames the heart and enchants the soul. I hope one day you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside.''                                                          ~ Lupita Nyong'o

My third name:

Erica Riyannah Wangari

17 years young

5'10

Ugandan/Kenyan

Nigerian in my past life

Singer trying to be songwriter

Arguer

Jesus Freak

4th member of Destiny Child

The name of my blog is my 3rd name given to me by my late Kenyan grandmother,The name Wangari stems from the Kikuyu word ngari meaning "leopard" it also has meanings such as ''leader'' '''spiritual' and ''kind hearted'' all traits I wish to have. I have always liked the name Wangari and am so glad I was given the name,as my grandmother gave my mum a list of names to call me which I might add were all hers  and said 'pick one' The other choices were Mary and another Magdalena. Even though Mary gave birth to Jesus I don't think that name would've hit home as much as Wangari. Wangari other than my brown skin is the only thing that ties me back to my African roots. 

My first name is Erica, I was named after the black goddess herself Erykah Badu. My second name is Riyannah given to me by my grandfather. My 4th name is Beyoncè

 but I don't really advertise that one due to security reasons.

I was born in England on the 9th of May 1997 to Mariam and David. Sadly things didn't work out between my parents and my mother and I jetted off to Ireland. 

I was apparently the happiest child of all time who never stopped smiling or laughing or bringing joy to others so basically I was the freaking sun from the Teletubbies. When we first moved to Ireland we lived in a little town called Wicklow. We then moved to Dublin the capital and in 2002 my mother gave birth to the armpit I call my brother Liam. 

<-the armpit and I 

    

Then it was bye-bye Ireland and hello South Africa. 

South Africa was our home for 4 years. 

We lived in Northern Suburbs of Cape Town,where nothing happens. 

boo! mum just boo!

I went to Panorama Primary School for the first year that I was there I was one of 2 black girls in the grade I was not used to this as I was usually the only black kid in the class. For some reason everyone thought her and I were going to be automatic friends like a force in the universe would bind us together because of our skin and we would become one,we were but that's besides the point. I did however become friends with a little Portuguese girl called Sabrina who soon became my best friend but then ditched me for a Korean girl (thanks Sabrina)after 2 and a 1/2 years at Panorama my mother moved me to a private boarding school in PE called DSG. I HATED IT OMG I HATED IT SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN EXPRESS TO YOU HOW SAD I WAS It was an amazing school one of the best I have ever been to and my mothers money didn't go to waste I learnt things there that I wouldn't have learnt anywhere else but goodness were the girls in my grade terrible to me.

After 1 year and a 1/2 I left DSG and moved to Uganda and went to Rainbow. That was just a hilarious experience I met people at Rainbow that I will be life long friends with. After a year and a 1/2 of Rainbow I moved to Heritage. Heritage is an American Christian missionary school the size of a peanut,everyone knows everyone it's so small that we had cups with our names on them this was nothing compared to Rainbow. 

I had 8 people in my class. EIGHT DO YOU HEAR ME? EIGHT! 

This was the first time I actually read the bible and tried to understand what I was reading and take it all in, I was the narrator in Joseph and The Technicolor coat and The Grinch.I used to complain about how boring Heritage was but it kept me grounded.

<- such a spice 

In the summer of 2011 we headed to Kenya, where I attended...... let's just not talk about that. Kenya was a waste of time for me,I did however meet my boo Patti.

After 8 months of nothingness mama decided that the best idea was to move us back to South Africa. 

I then attended Edgemead High School. I didn't feel like I fitted in that much at first,black girl with a confused American-ish accent who didn't really understand how it worked,I did meet a few people that became my friends,they aren't my friends any more so there shall be no picture of them *skips story*

I met Zoe the 2nd year I was at Edgemead,she is EXACTLY like me except she's white,skinny,ruder and WAY SMARTER than me. Zoe was and is still my left hip and even though we don't talk everyday when we do it's like we never stopped. 

July 2014 I made the big move to England to do my A-levels. 

One Sunday I decided to accompany my doughnut of a cousin to church,I didn't think much of it I was just ready to sing a couple of hymns say a prayer and leave,oh but no. It changed my life. I don't even know how to explain it to you,God just touched me that Sunday and after that I swore I would keep coming back. it's been 4 months since I joined and I feel like I've been here my whole life, There are so many things God has in store for me at this church and in 2015 I just can't wait to embark on this journey and share it all with you. 

This blog will contain all the things that I do in my life,past and present experiences,my views on pressing topics and a few black girl chronicles. I am not the best writer but I shall do my best besides this is a learning experience,Soon words will flow through me easily and my posts will get better.

This year is going to be AWESOME. 

Wangari x 

two thousand and fifteen

2014 is one for the books. I've lost friends made some more ,met the BEST vocal coach I've ever had who challenged me and helped me grow as a vocalist and a person, I was also able to record in a studio, failed maths,passed everything else,knitted 5 scarves and spontaneously moved back to England. I found myself going to Hillsong and since then I've been serving on both coffee and creative team which has led me to meet some INSANELY talented and down to earth individuals who have a passion for Jesus and express it in a way that is so vibrant and fresh. 
Don't even get me started on my connect g̶r̶o̶u̶p̶ family who have been so welcoming and caring. My leaders are my inspiration and I one day hope to be like them. Let me also just add that I was chosen to be a young gun([preparing you to be a leader)this all happened in the short space of 4 months. I am so fortunate to have all these things given to me and to use my gifts to do all the thing that I love doing to glorify God. In 2015 I plan to join worship,develop my craft,grow spiritually,listen more,talk less,start a blog,meet more people and become the GREATEST leader I can be. I don't know what this new year brings but with the guidance of my phenomenal leaders and my super EXTRAordinary God I will not fail to achieve anything I set my mind to. 
God has done amazing things for me in 2014 and I know he will continue to do so in 2015.

So here it goes. page 1 of 365. 

- Wangari x