Black History Month with Aline
Could you tell us a bit more about your upcoming Black History Month theme ride?
Yes! I would say it’s a black achievement ride in which I want it to highlight a few of the black artists that played a big role in the history of the music industry. For example, Beyonces' super iconic performance of the Superbowl where she makes a lot of political statements. Or Prince who served as an iconoclast and didn’t conform to Western society's perceptions of masculinity and gender norms.
"Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?" Prince says in his track Controversy. I want to give the credits where it belongs and thereby shine some light on the positive contributions black people had on society and which are still visible nowadays. HipHop originates from black culture and grew out to be one of the biggest genres till today. I also want to create a feeling of unity in my rides. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what skin color you have, what religion or beliefs you have, who you love. We’re all equal and your value is not determined by any of these factors!
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Over the last couple of years, I found out that we as a society, including myself, don’t know that much about black history. I really see this month as an opportunity to educate ourselves about this subject and all of its history. I think it is very important to see what effects slavery has had on the society as a whole, where it stems from and also how that translates to our own systems and behavior, sometimes even unconsciously. Watch documentaries, read books, listen to podcasts, use this month to actively educate yourself in a way that fits you. I personally really liked the documentary 13th, I found it to be really clear and informative.
What would you like to tell us about your experiences?
During my childhood I didn’t really feel like I was that different, but in the little things you can actually feel that people treat you different. As a child you don’t really realize it because it seems normal. You don’t know it any other way. It’s when I became older and look back on certain experiences that I see the different ways people treated me and the effect it had on me. It shouldn’t be normal or accepted to treat people different because of their skin color, hair color, religion, sexual orientation or any other attribute we like to label people with. I feel its so embedded in our society and a lot of people do it without even realizing it. But now is the time that we make a change, acknowledge it and educate ourself on the matter.
Do you feel like the BLM movement makes it easier for you to stand up for yourself?
Yes it does. It feels good to know that there are allies out there and to not only be the one to say something since you’re also already the one affected. A lot of things small things have already changed over the past couple of years, which I’m happy about. For instance, nude underwear and make-up used to only be available in light skin tones. And it’s strange that we only now realize that there are so many more natural skin tones. But at least now I feel like we are focusing on issues like this and things are actually changing. We won’t achieve anything by pointing fingers, what we need to do is address the problems and then make sure to fix them together!
Do you have any black owned businesses you really love and support?
Ahh, I recently found out about Mooshka. It’s a Black owned restaurant in de Pijp serving delicious vegan soul food. An absolute must visit!
