Leah's Page

When did you realize you were a quirky black girl?

- when as a young girl, I believed that I would be a pediatrician, living in Italy, playing the sax in a band on some days, playing basketball on others, and developing skills as the next debbie allen

- when my mother confronted me at age 8 about a threatening letter I'd written to Ike Turner...I'd just finished reading Tina's autobiography.....

-when in elementary school, I could never be in just one box- I dabbled in everything, dance, musical instruments, academics, sports, arts....jill of all trades so to speak...but I'm trying to harness that energy into becoming a master of at least one in the near future...

What does "quirky" mean to you?

quirky means doing your own thing regardless of what others think, and being 100% comfortable and confident about it.

What does "black" mean to you?

so many things
too many things
and i cant help but wonder if it's about what "black"means to me or what i mean to "black"....then it has me thinking about if i was black first or me first, but to be me is to be black....and i conclude that it's this wonderfully positive nature vs nurture existence that makes me unable to really answer the question...

What does "girl" mean to you?

girl used to have negative connotations for me, like chick or broad. i've often used the word "girl" like one would use the word "bitch"...for me "girl" has more of a condescending tone to it. it's easy to call someone a bitch but to call a grown woman a "little girl"???...that right there is the beginning of a fight (be it verbal or physical).

...but lately I've been seeing it in a more positive light...like in the case of this website....i'm beginning to embrace it more, and i am starting to see and believe in the fierceness of it...

What kind of quirky things do you like to do?

i want to do it all...

jump double dutch
skateboard
DJ
be a photographer
teach dance
blog for a living
own a vintage clothing store
pose as a black pinup girl circa 1945-1955
deconstruct then reconstruct the typical family structure, and live in a big old house with a wrap around porch with my best friends, and our babies...


---that didn't answer the question....

i don't think I'm as "quirky" as I can be/would like to be....I think as I become more independent/self sufficient, I'll come into my quirkiness, it's there, it's visible, but sometimes stifled, and Im working on getting to myself to the point where it's more present in me than my self consciousness...

How do you embrace your quirky?

by surrounding myself with positive people, artists, free spirits.....all sorts

What does your ideal quirky black girl world look like?

a beautifully blended composite of the following people:

(in no particular order)

aunt polly
denise cosby
etheylynde sam (my grandmother)
w.m.
shayne (the l word)
audre lorde
helia james (weeds)
tasha (the l word)

How did you hear about QBG?

"a fellow QBG who is already here";}