I feel like society has failed to romanticize and celebrate black love. I think, as black people, we need to free ourselves from the shackles of viewing romantic love as it has been portrayed by media and society. Of course, there is no standard for how people should view love. However, the media has lowkey, or even high-key set a standard that many of us follow. Unfortunately, this standard does not necessarily promote diversity and representation (these are just my views and opinions).

I think black love is underrepresented in many ways and is often portrayed in a negative or stereotypical light. Celebrating black love promotes positive images of black people, especially on Valentines day. This day is meant to be inclusive, but I don’t think it is. Baby cupid doesn’t look like me, romcoms don’t always have people that look like me, sexy valentines day lingerie models also don’t look like me.

So I think that on this day, we need to highlight the stories of black couples by giving them a voice and a space to express their love. In addition, black relationships have often been subjected to harmful stereotypes, such as dysfunctional or relationships that are prone to conflict. Celebrating black love can challenge these stereotypes by showcasing positive examples of black love and relationships. For example, highlighting the strong and loving relationships between black celebrities, such as Jay-Z and Beyonce, Michelle and Barak Obama, can counteract harmful stereotypes and promote a positive representation of black love.

Showcasing positive examples of black love can empower the black community by promoting pride and self-esteem. It can also inspire black people to strive for healthy and loving relationships, fostering a sense of community and support. When the media highlights successful black relationships, others can be encouraged to strive for similar love. For example, black couples who openly share their love stories and experiences have inspired me to prioritize love and relationships. It is easier to relate to people who look like me.

Celebrating black love should become normalized and accepted as a valid and valuable form of love. This will create a more inclusive and diverse society where passion is recognized and valued, regardless of race.

So on this valentines day, I will celebrate, romanticize and embrace black love!

Do you have a love story you want to share?

The post Celebrating Black Love on Valentines Day appeared first on Sheevolves.world.

If love was a person

Angel spent days crying. Life was getting hard, she felt empty inside, and her mind was numb… She thought that her story was unfinished.

All she wanted was someone to hold her hand and tell her everything would be okay.

Missing John sickened her until it didn’t until she realized that if love was a person, John would have been hers for all seven lives.

Yet, stubborn as hearts can be, hers misses him again sometimes. When it does, she hears from its beat that she doesn’t miss him more. Instead, she loves him more.

But ‘more’ was quite a confusing word. Perhaps Angel also loved John more when she first flirted with the stranger in him. It was three years ago. She was fresh out of college. One morning she got a text and wouldn’t care less after checking the sender’s profile picture.

“Who on earth wears this hat and a long-sleeved shirt?” She laughed with disregard. “I swear his name is John something”. Angel was totally blind to the light that suddenly sparkled in her eyes.

Three minutes later, Angel realized her eyes had been fixed on the picture on the screen.
She had no idea what was going on with her. She was forever lost in his staring eyes.
She texted a “hi” back. She obsessively held her phone, waiting for it to beep again. She was bothered when he kept her waiting.

“Hola! Can I come over?” Her phone chimed. It was John.

“Do you know where I live?” She typed fast as her face formed a smile. But she deleted the text before hitting ‘Send’. He didn’t; he was just making a conversation. But the “Can I come over” thing blew her mind. She wanted him to come over right away so she could see the person who was shaking her thoughts up.

They chatted for hours, but it took Angel just three minutes to know that she was in love with this stranger. That night she played games and watched anime to force herself to sleep.

The following day, her stomach felt weird, and she couldn’t tell if she was excited or nervous.
Last night he had made sure she would text him first in the morning. She did. Angel was hitting on him hard.

“Good morning, handsome.”

“Morning, sexy!” He replied.

She sent him another message.

“You’re not the first to call me sexy.”

He responded with a single emoji.

“You’ll never know how much that means to me,” She said.

He showed up in a white T-shirt with black butterflies that hugged his body perfectly. Angel wondered if she could take advantage and steal a better view of his abs. She then noticed that she hadn’t introduced herself.

“Hey handsome, it’s nice to finally meet you. I wanted to see what the hell you looked like.” She said with a soft giggle.

John’s cheeks turned pink. She found it adorable.

“Sorry about that,” he said. Angel thought he was blushing.
She was trying to hide her nervous laughter, but she couldn’t. She told him that he looked cute, but he denied it and joked:

“You should know that’s not the reason I’m blushing, but you’re a little shit.”

“Aw! Are you embarrassed to have called me sexy?”

He blushed harder and shook his head. “No.”

“Well, then why are you blushing?”

John was silent and didn’t say anything back. Angel could swear that he was blushing. He always told her that he was shy with girls, but she didn’t believe him. John hugged Angel tightly, squeezed and spun her around. In that madness, her lips mouthed a “WTF”, which he heard. That’s when he whispered “Ndagukunda” in her ear.

Her head was pounding like a drum, and his words felt like a dagger in her heart. She couldn’t believe what she had heard. Angel thought she was dreaming because it took decades for him to tell her “Ndagukunda”.

The sky was on her side, considering how it rained suddenly; only then would they spend a little more time together.

On the other side of the road was a hotel. They ran there, holding hands like love birds waiting for each other for a long time. After checking in, the couple went to the room upstairs and made love.

On her way home, all she could think of was that kiss. It changed her whole life. It was more meaningful than any kiss she’d ever given someone, and it filled her soul with bliss.

She was already thinking about how to give him a proper ‘hello’ on the next hookup when her mobile rang. She was confused at first. The voice was unfamiliar, and the traffic noise in the background didn’t make it easy for her. But she heard that it was an ambulance nurse on the other phone. So she stayed on the line only to listen to the sirens turn into a whisper and die.

Angel knew she had to rush. She reached home and grabbed a quick shower. Then, she put on a pair of grey slacks, a shirt and a leather jacket.

As she ascended in the elevator, it hit her how stupid her decision was. She had no idea which room John was in. She should have asked the nurse about the location. At the reception, she was asking everybody where John was. Nobody knew John.

A doctor came to her. She was not supposed to disturb John because he was resting. But those were the last words Angel wanted to hear. Thank God the doctor didn’t say them.

Seeing him lying in hospebed pierced her heart until he smiled.
His smile, like a sudden beam of sunlight illuminating the darkest corners of the room, also illuminates her heart. Angel was weak in voice, so she went close to John and murmured,

“I know God does things in mysterious ways. I know bad things happen for a reason. But I am having a bad time finding no reason for this.”

John smiled again and said to her,

“Life is so much more beautiful when you know you can die,” He paused and grabbed her hand. “Every blue sky, every potion of love and every kiss feels so much more precious when you realize it could be your last.”

Angel’s felt heavy. He lifted her hand close to his mouth as she stared at him. He kissed her hand and laid down to rest.

By Ingabire Gisele

Instagram: @Xandagiselle

The post Black love matters appeared first on Sheevolves.world.