Toni Morrison once said “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
It’s simple and obvious but it’s also SO simple and SO obvious that it can take forever to realize this. And it doesn’t HAVE to be about writing a book you want to read, it can be about anything. If you want something that doesn’t exist, you have to MAKE it.
It annoys me when people complain about something but don’t DO anything about it. I mean, there’s a lot that is outside of our control but when someone CAN do something about it but choose not to, well, I suppose they just like to complain.
But if anything annoys me more people complaining for the love of complaining, it’s hypocrites. I know I am hypocritical from time to time but when I realize this (or when someone gently points it out), then I look for a way to change this.
I’ve been writing a lot about representation lately, specifically about how positive and accurate portrayals of people like myself are rarely, if ever seen. We are either comedic or tragic or sexual characters. Very rarely are we REAL.
I got to thinking that if I think this representation is so important and needed, why don’t I do something about it?
But what could I do? Write a book? Write a movie? Write a play? What can I do to, well, normalize seeing someone like us in media?
Obviously none of these are really realistic but I’m tired of complaining about representation, especially if there is the tiniest chance I could actually do something about it.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 