What Is “Kol(ours)” The Visual?
When I first wrote “Kol(ours)”, I was eighteen years old, and just finishing up first semester as a freshman at Columbia College Chicago. The song sort of wrote itself, and I was able to speak my mind about my feelings, observations, and experiences as a becoming Black Woman. I was surprised at the amount of people who loved the song when I dropped my first project, GlassWindows EP, and once I was continuously being asked to create a visual for it, I knew I had to. I soon realized “Kol(ours)” was not just about me, Amare the artist, the woman, or the human but about all of us Black womyn. Within the lyrics there is something that any and every Black womyn can relate to: whether it is talking about sexuality, resilience, invisibility, erasure, and spirituality. I intended to tell my story as well as be inclusive to all of us: including Trans Black womyn, and those who identify as non-binary.
“The concept of Kol(ours) is to show the many ways of which we as Black Women, are colorful. At the beginning of the visual, I have included some Black/Brown women who have inspired me: Mahogany L. Browne, Princess Nokia, Eartha Kitt, Issa Rae, and Tyra Ross. All of these women share one attribution: their colors. Color can be used to express emotions, sexuality, spirituality, and significant moments in one’s life, etc. “Kol(ours)” is about self-expression, and the resistance in taking up space within a grey world that constantly tries to dim OUR light.”
It’s Importance to the Community:
“Kol(ours)” is important to community because it continues the celebration of Black womyn as an act of resistance against those who want us to be forever silent, and invisible or even dead. We sometimes hold everything for everyone, and are not always seen as human beings, nonetheless humans that can contain beauty. Many of us are not supposed to be here, but we are still flourishing despite our fates. It is important to talk about the mortality rate of Black queer womyn, to talk about how resilient Black womyn must be in order to survive, to be pro-Black in an anti-Black world where erasure is always around the corner or at your doorstep, while trying to maintain your happiness, safety, and sanity.
Spreading the word:
I asked Black womyn across my social media platforms to submit selfies of themselves, and explained that this was intended to celebrate and uplift Black womyn into the spotlight. I wanted to showcase the many variations of beauty that we as Black womyn have. I wanted to reach out to those Womyn who we see everyday on our way to work, our mothers, our sisters, aunts cousins, our best friends, and to shed light on their beauty. We are all so different from each other, but we have more in common than we think. I remember being told by my mother writer, artivist, poet, and author Mahogany L. Browne that if I didn’t love other Black womyn, I do not love myself; this has stuck with me forever. The response to the campaign has been so supportive, and beautiful; it is an honor that Black womyn have trusted my process, and continue to support, and love my art.
You can view the “Kol(ours) Video” below :
By: Amare Symoné
Website: www.amaresymone.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/amaresymone
Instagram: www.instagram.com/amaresymone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amaresymone
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/AmareSymone
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