Identity

1. When I was in elementary school, my mom used to style my hair in cornrows. No pretty design, no cute bubbles, just straight Carmelo Anthony cornrows. I looked like a boy from ages 8-11.

I wear my gold nameplate necklace every day. It has a constant, reassuring presence on my body. Below my throat and above my heart. When I feel overwhelmed or nervous, it becomes a place to rest my hands, a touchstone to recenter myself. When I order coffee, I hold it out as I spell my name.

Each year in May, the Women’s Center gathers its graduating interns to thank them for the impact they’ve had on the UVA community. As they look back on their experiences working with the center, they offer some terrific insights that we at Iris want to share with you. 

The coming of spring means many things to me: flowers are blooming, the weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining, and soon I’ll have freedom from classes. It also means it’s almost time to break out my summer clothing and put my winter clothes deep in the closet.

To many people, putting the jeans away and putting on shorts brings a sense of freedom. The sun on your shoulders and legs feels good, and finally that months-long chill is gone.

There are a only a few things I can think of that I absolutely hate: possums, green beans, waiting on someone who is late, and people I don’t know seeing me without makeup.

This last one is beyond superficial, I realize that, but I have been wearing makeup for close to a decade. It’s become so ingrained in my everyday routine that I almost feel like I’m missing a part of myself without it.

7:00am *alarm goes off*

1. Jesus Christ my eyes are swollen shut, I need, like, 10 more minutes of sleep.

2. Ugh no I don’t, I HAVE to wash my hair today, it’s been long enough.

3. I’m smelling ripe.

Kirsten Hemrich works on both large scale oil paintings and mixed-media based artists books. Her work is influenced by post painterly abstraction. She is interested in visually exploring the transient nature of life in her paintings.

More of her work can be found on her website: https://kmhemrich.wixsite.com/mysite.

Well, the time has come. Classes are ending. Libraries are filling up. The days are getting longer and the hours spent asleep are getting shorter. This academic year is coming to an end, which means, The Black Column is coming to an end too. The end of an era. 

I cry a lot. And I mean… a lot. I have a hair trigger on my emotions and it takes very little to set me off. A raised voice, a misfortune, even just the feeling that I have disappointed someone… all of it can trigger the water works. This has been true for my entire life. It’s definitely not something I’m proud of, but it’s just a fact. If I were a character in a script or a video-game, it would be apart of my bio. Taylor Lamb is a crier. 

So, recently for my “Black Power & the Bildungsroman” class, we’ve started watching Luke Cage. Yes, that is my homework for one of my classes. #Blessed.