Genre: Non- fiction/ Autobiography
Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
Pages: 151
Author: Janis Leslie Evans
‘It’s a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.’
– W.E.B Dubois, The Souls of Black Folk.
***
Janis starts every recollection of her book with a quote from a renown revolutionary and I loved it! Triggered by the untimely and brutal death of George Floyd, Janis explores experiences from remembrances of growing up with brown skin in America. Born to Jamaican parents who immigrated from the Caribbean and Canada before she was born, Janis recounts various encounters that formed part and parcel of who she is as she probes into exploring how to heal despite the trauma.
The recollections are broken down into five parts. Part I explores Early identity formation based off experiences she had as a child; Part II explores Waking up to a Black identity based off how she was treated at school and in the workspace. Part III explores Experiences as seen through the lens of others where she recounts experiences of being profiled because of her colour. Part IV, Janis emphasises that experiences have an identity that must be acknowledged in order to move past them and in the last part, Janis explores the Healing journey and the re-writing of the narratives surrounding healing.
Reading her recollections definitely had me thinking about the colourism and tribalism that we must endure each and everyday in this country and how these might have affected us in one way or the other. Speaking about it definitely helps release the bitterness, and working towards breaking any future biases would be a step in the right direction to protect the next generation.
After we tell our stories, define our injustices, heal from the pain, and re-write our narratives, we will need to outline next steps. What action will we take to change policy, speak truth to power and make lasting changes in our society?
– Janis Leslie Evans, Recollections About Race; Getting to the roots and healing
I loved that Janis fearlessly relays her recollections of being treated as less than because of her brown skin, as she eases into her healing. She emphasises that it is only through acknowledgment of our trauma that we will find the grace to start our healing journey. At the end of her recollections, Janis’ relays for her readers a step-by-step process of creating a path towards your own healing that I’d highly recommend the readers engage in.
I’d recommend this.
Let me know what you though about the book in the comment section.
Cheers.