If Black Is a Color, What Is Melanin?


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK: Our nation has taken great pains to cover up the history of the Black man, Africans, and the significance of Melanin in humans. Even our White forefathers politically ran this country from before the Declaration of Independence to this very day – the twenty-first century. When Thomas Jefferson constructed the Declaration of Independence, other persons such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin made several changes. Ben Franklin even denoted in his writings “the no more Africans should be brought from Africa because Whites were already out numbered in this country. “All men created equal” included only White people, since African slaves were brought to this country - America - only for the labor the slaves could produce as well as their knowledge, talents and expertise in building this nation. All people are given air to breathe as a gift from God and must value themselves and all others. It appears that we will struggle for justice and equality for a lifetime and let a moral voice be heard for generations to come. “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” are a starting point. There are many changes coming, no situation is perfect, but with our faith and willingness to accept each other’s talents as gifts from our Creator, we will prevail as a “whole nation”. God has his finger print on us, He’s not pleased with us, but He has the power and love to rebrand us in His own image.




Challenges in Sun Protection


Book Description

In the early 20th century, tanned skin was associated with good health. However, people began to protect themselves against potential overexposure to avoid sunburns. Around 1945, the first sunscreen products became available. In the years to follow, a vast number of different sunscreen filters and frameworks regulating filter substances and preparations, and methods characterizing sunscreen products were developed. The perception regarding the tasks of sunscreen products changed several times – initially it was promoted as a lifestyle product, then as a skin cancer preventive means, and more recently also for anti-aging. Different purposes and the widespread use of these products have led to myriad studies and a wealth of information. In this volume, the editors present a current collection of information analyzing and discussing issues related to sunscreen products and their use. These include challenges regarding the ideal sunscreen product including filter selection and formulation issues, measurement methods, performance characterization, safety, and regulatory issues. Further papers address topics related to the use of sunscreen products in everyday life, in vulnerable cohorts and outdoor workers. Controversial topics such as environmental effects of sunscreen products and the risks and benefits of UV radiation in the context of skin cancer, vitamin D and cardiovascular and metabolic health are also covered.




Black Is a Rainbow Color


Book Description

A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on. Red is a rainbow color. Green sits next to blue. Yellow, orange, violet, indigo, They are rainbow colors, too, but My color is black . . . And there’s no BLACK in rainbows. From the wheels of a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and thrive. Stunningly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner Ekua Holmes, Black Is a Rainbow Color is a sweeping celebration told through debut author Angela Joy’s rhythmically captivating and unforgettable words. An ALSC Notable Children's Book 2021 An NCTE 2021 Notable Poetry Book A 2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Book of the NCSS/CBC A New York Public Library Best Book of 2020 A Washington Post Best Book of 2020 A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year A 2020 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honoree




M Is for Melanin


Book Description

"Contagiously upbeat, joyful, and positive . . . [C]herish this book." -Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW "A must-have for any library that is in need of books with positive representation for and about Black children, as there is no other alphabet book quite like this one." -School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW "A necessary, uplifting volume that celebrates 'black girl magic' and 'black boy joy.'" -Publishers Weekly M Is for Melanin is an empowering alphabet book that teaches kids their ABCs and celebrates Black children, now available as a board book! M is for Melanin shining in every inch of your skin. Every shade, every hue. All beautiful and unique. Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, Black-positive messages, from A is for Afro, to F is for Fresh, to W is for Worthy. This book teaches children their ABCs while encouraging them to love the skin that they're in. Be bold. Be fearless. BE YOU.




Same Family, Different Colors


Book Description

Weaving together personal stories, history, and analysis, Same Family, Different Colors explores the myriad ways skin-color politics affect family dynamics in the United States. Colorism and color bias—the preference for or presumed superiority of people based on the color of their skin—is a pervasive and damaging but rarely openly discussed phenomenon. In this unprecedented book, Lori L. Tharps explores the issue in African American, Latino, Asian American, and mixed-race families and communities by weaving together personal stories, history, and analysis. The result is a compelling portrait of the myriad ways skin-color politics affect family dynamics in the United States. Tharps, the mother of three mixed-race children with three distinct skin colors, uses her own family as a starting point to investigate how skin-color difference is dealt with. Her journey takes her across the country and into the lives of dozens of diverse individuals, all of whom have grappled with skin-color politics and speak candidly about experiences that sometimes scarred them. From a Latina woman who was told she couldn’t be in her best friend’s wedding photos because her dark skin would “spoil” the pictures, to a light-skinned African American man who spent his entire childhood “trying to be Black,” Tharps illuminates the complex and multifaceted ways that colorism affects our self-esteem and shapes our lives and relationships. Along with intimate and revealing stories, Tharps adds a historical overview and a contemporary cultural critique to contextualize how various communities and individuals navigate skin-color politics. Groundbreaking and urgent, Same Family, Different Colors is a solution-seeking journey to the heart of identity politics, so that this more subtle “cousin to racism,” in the author’s words, will be exposed and confronted.




The Melanin Millennium


Book Description

In the aftermath of the 60s “Black is Beautiful” movement and publication of The Color Complex almost thirty years later the issue of skin color has mushroomed onto the world stage of social science. Such visibility has inspired publication of the Melanin Millennium for insuring that the discourse on skin color meet the highest standards of accuracy and objective investigation. This volume addresses the issue of skin color in a worldwide context. A virtual visit to countries that have witnessed a huge rise in the use of skin whitening products and facial feature surgeries aiming for a more Caucasian-like appearance will be taken into account. The book also addresses the question of whether using the laws has helped to redress injustices of skin color discrimination, or only further promoted recognition of its divisiveness among people of color and Whites. The Melanin Millennium has to do with now and the future. In the 20th century science including eugenics was given to and dominated by discussions of race category. Heretofore there remain social scientists and other relative to the issue of skin color loyal to race discourse. However in their interpretation and analysis of social phenomena the world has moved on. Thus while race dominated the 20th century the 21st century will emerge as a global community dominated by skin color and making it the melanin millennium.




Black God


Book Description




Faces of Perfect Ebony


Book Description

Though blacks were not often seen on the streets of seventeenth-century London, they were already capturing the British imagination. For two hundred years, as Britain shipped over three million Africans to the New World, popular images of blacks as slaves and servants proliferated in London art, both highbrow and low. Catherine Molineux assembles a surprising array of sources in her exploration of this emerging black presence, from shop signs, tea trays, trading cards, board games, playing cards, and song ballads to more familiar objects such as William Hogarth's graphic satires. By idealizing black servitude and obscuring the brutalities of slavery, these images of black people became symbols of empire to a general populace that had little contact with the realities of slave life in the distant Americas and Caribbean. The earliest images advertised the opulence of the British Empire by depicting black slaves and servants as minor, exotic characters who gazed adoringly at their masters. Later images showed Britons and Africans in friendly gatherings, smoking tobacco together, for example. By 1807, when Britain abolished the slave trade and thousands of people of African descent were living in London as free men and women, depictions of black laborers in local coffee houses, taverns, or kitchens took center stage. Molineux's well-crafted account provides rich evidence for the role that human traffic played in the popular consciousness and culture of Britain during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and deepens our understanding of how Britons imagined their burgeoning empire.




Color Me Melanin


Book Description

Color Me Melanin: An Affirmation Coloring Book for Fabulous Women of Color Coloring isn't just for the kids anymore! Hop on one of the hottest trends of today with this fabulously made two-for-one coloring and affirmation book. This unique and powerful coloring book includes 22 super cute & fun illustrations. Color Me Melanin: An Affirmation Coloring Book relieves stress after along day in the office or when you just want to unleash your artistic side. This book is great for all, but it is an ideal gift for your beautifully melanated mother, sister, cousin, best friend, and so on! With beautifully curated designs and positive affirmations, Color Me Melanin is sure to relax your mind and heighten your positive vibes. Immerse yourself in the joyous journey of self-love with images that look like your closest loved ones. In this adult coloring book, you should expect: ● 22 uniquely and neatly drawn images accompanied by positive affirmations ● Modern designs, representative of everyday life for women of color ● A perfect gift for Mother's Day, anniversaries, or birthdays ● A positive coloring book meant to boost self-esteem and self-love ● Inspiration and motivation to continue being the best version of you Become the most confident and happy version of yourself as you repeat the powerful affirmations throughout the book, including, "I am unapologetically me," & and "I am worthy of everything good in life." It can be challenging to find coloring books representing women of color, especially black women. No matter how old you get, your inner child will sometimes speak to you regarding insecurities. Take back your power from that insecure inner child. Color Me Melanin has images that represent the modern, everyday woman of color. This coloring book is of the times as it also has images conscious of life during the pandemic with its tastefully drawn images of women of color sporting their protective yet fashionable masks. This unique coloring book is totally different from any other adult coloring book as it allows those who feel different because of how they look to be able to experience positive representation and inclusion. The images in the coloring book are beyond powerful as they include images of fierce women of color just waiting to be brought to life with your artistic ability. Color Me Melanin sends a message to women of all ages, sizes, complexions, and backgrounds that they are beautiful regardless of their background. Discover your worth and relax your mind with Color Me Melanin: An Affirmation Coloring Book.




Melanin Is Worth More Than Gold


Book Description

Who would have thought preparations for a March 2014 Sacred Libation Ceremony honoring one-hundred forty-eight African American women lynched in America would result in the observation melanin is worth more than gold? Dr. Frances Cress Welsing first told us the chemical melanin is produced through a process known as melanogenesis upon introduction of the chemical tyrosine to the enzyme tyrosinase. Melanin is found in such diverse places as bird feathers, animal fur, reptile scales, microorganisms, cephalopod ink, mushrooms and even fossils. Additionally, melanin is found in the hair, skin and eyes of people. Melanin is subjected to intense scientific scrutiny. Nevertheless, the highly educated people studying it had no idea melanin is worth more than gold. In June 2014 a post to the Keyamsha the Awakening blog openly declared melanin was worth $353 a gram and $300 a gram more than gold. Shortly afterwards, hoaxers began bombarding the blog with comments claiming "melanin thieves" were harvesting melanin from Black people. The hoax was easily falsified. The hoaxers made certain to never mention the company selling melanin extracted from the ink of sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish. During the intervening years the melanin thieves hoaxers persisted in their efforts. In March 2017, the melanin thieves hoaxers launched a "Melanin Twitter bomb" involving the dollar value of melanin after publicity of black women and girls missing in Washington, D.C. was released. Their actions exposed a frailty in their psyche. They also reveal it is possible to wipe out false information involving melanin and take the melanin challenged inferiority complex (aka racism/white supremacy) along for the ride. It then became clear the time had come to enter the fray and dispel the myths about melanin. This book completely obliterates the false narrative of melanin. Perceiving facts from a melanin-centered perspective bestows upon us an expanded awareness of the world and our place in it. It helps provide the average person a means to immerse themselves in melaninology and emerge a "melaninologist." Essentially, we get to know ourselves. To date no other path for the public to independently verify, or falsify, outlandish claims regarding melanin being worth more than gold on their own without any "guru" to guide them have been made available. At this writing, melanin is worth over $395 a gram more than gold. In ancient Kemet (misnomered Egypt) such words were known as hekau or words of power with the ability to heal. For nearly one-hundred years, since August 13, 1920, melanin put the "B" in R.B.G. and the "Black" in Red, Black and Green as the flag of Africans, at home and abroad.. Those are hekau, also. Our Blood, Our Melanin and Africa unites us. More hekau. The Afro, official currency of the United States of Africa, also known as the African Union, is worth $2.22. We are swathed in hekau to such an extent Mchakato Wa Uponyaji (Swahili for the process of healing) has begun. All of which indicates we are living in a new era: the era when all the generations of man can be called blessed on a planet that works for everyone. This era demands we convene the Ubuntu Convention. That plebiscite sets the stage for drafting the Ubuntu Declaration. In emulating the success of the August 1920 Universal Negro Improvement Association convention, we deliberately create the world where we intend to live. The revival of the U.N.I.A. with 12 million dues-paying card-carrying members positions the organization to have a treasury flush with over $400 million liquid. All of which represents a quantum shift in awareness, perception and power underway as you read this. Through our own actions we bring about the total, complete, and absolute Redemption of Africa for all time.