“Black eye, black hair, black skin, 

Black queen stand majestic with the black king

Today I’ll sing you a black song

You need to hear about beautiful black things cause…” – Chronixx 

In this time of black consciousness, #MelaninMondays, a proliferation of reigning black beauty queens, and an increasing appreciation for all hair types, it’s unfortunate that this revolution has still not changed the mindsets of many Jamaicans.

As such, Shari-Ann Henry, a former skin bleacher (now dubbed by her Instagram @shari_melan_in) has taken up the challenge of trying to change negative perceptions about the black skin among her peers. Through her initiative, ‘Love Your Skin, Appreciate Your Melanin’, which was launched on the first of June, Shari has helped to spread the positive message of loving your skin, loving yourself and appreciating your God-given dose of melanin. She aims to help reduce skin bleaching – a prevalent social issue plaguing teens in Jamaica – and to also give them a renewed perspective towards life, thereby improving their self-esteem.  Already, Shari has engaged in 25 outreach programs in various communities and schools. Last Tuesday, she took to Padmore Primary where she motivated the hearts of many. By painting the children’s faces, allowing them to affirm positivity over their lives, and most importantly urging them to love their skin. Shari uses her story to motivate others. In a chat with

teenAGE she confessed that “Growing up I thought it was impossible to be black and to still be considered beautiful. Bleaching was a staple in my house and so soon after I started bleaching too, hating myself for being so dark. Bleaching was my way to fit in.” Education though, Shari recalled, was the most important tool for her empowerment. “At my alma mater, Convent of Mercy ‘ALPHA’, I was selected to do 9 subjects in CSEC, and that is where I realized that others saw potential in me even when I was bleaching,” she shared. ” They encouraged me to stop and to focus on my school work. That is when slowly but surely I turned away from the bleaching and now I make it my life’s goal to encourage others to not walk that path and even if they have started it’s not too late to stop.” Coupled with her message of self-appreciation, she targets schools, primarily to inculcate in their minds the need for education to empower oneself. Where she thought bleaching would have brought her, it didn’t, education did.  She now boasts a bachelor of science in Social Policy and Development, minor in Demography, a master of science in Development Statistics specializing in Social and Demographic Statistics and is currently pursuing her bachelor of Laws. As said by Zozibini Tunzi, the recently crowned Miss Universe, it’s time for women to take up space. That is exactly what Shari-Ann Henry is doing with her initiative. Taking from our Miss World, Toni-Ann Singh, the door is open and she is walking through wearing her melanin proudly and empowering the youths to do so also. Stay tuned to her IG @appreciateyourmelanin, @shari_melan_in 

–Akeelia Richards