I have read numerous blogs and I have yet to find one that speaks about being black on the world race ; besides the few blogs about natural hair care on the race, which I was thankful for.

*if your easily offended, continue at your own risk.* If your offended by this blog, take it up with Jesus before coming to me, Thank you!.*

Even if we don’t say it outloud,  we all think to ourselves I’m the only black person on a all white squad; How will I fit in? Will they even understand me? Please don’t let them play/touch my hair? Please don’t let them start acting hood or start playing hip hop music, thinking that’s all black people listen too. Do they seasoned their food? Hopefully they are culturally sensitive. Please let there be another black person but don’t let us cling to each other because we’re the only black people.  I’m not sharing my comb or brush.

The race in itself has it’s own struggles, leaving the comfort of a life that I’ve built for myself with people who I have known for most of my life,  people who know me to the point where I just have to look at them and they know what’s going on. A life where I had all the freedom of a 31 year old, leave and come as I please and now I am living 24/7 with people, strangers who I have to communicate every single thing with, strangers who I have to tell when and where and for how long I am leaving and sometimes have to be with someone when I leave (this has been and sometimes still is my biggest struggle, your girl loves and is use to her freedom/not having to answer to anyone but God).

Add all of that and more to being THE ONLY BLACK PERSON on my squad (and oldest but that’s a separate conversation to be had) and you get a ball of emotions that I am sometimes still trying to figure out myself. In all of this, I have learned some battles just aren’t weren’t fighting for and some are worth be said in bold loud voices.

For future white racers with non whites on your team/squad please be sensitive and aware of the following.  When You being steered at by locals please, please refrain from saying they are looking at us white people,  because even if you didn’t mean it, you just isolated us from the team and made us feel like we are not a part of the team. 

Please have grace with us as we maneuver through having strands of hair everywhere, we don’t shed as much as you do and we just aren’t use to it. No we don’t wash our hair every day and no it’s not disgusting, if we were to wash our hair everyday, we would go bald.

Some of us are loud but that doesn’t not mean we are ghetto,  hood or from the projects; not all black people have actually even been in one,  let alone lived in the ghetto, hood or projects. Not all black people listen to trap music (I despise trap music, twerking or anything that objectifies from the very core of my being), not all of us like or listen to rap, hip hop or whatever music the media may portray black people like to listen too.
Don’t be afraid to ask us what music we like, or questions about our hair; now with that being said, it’s probably best to start off saying, you are curious and want to learn more so you can get to know the person better, don’t please for the life of all things common sense don’t go in saying black people hair is so strange. 

Feel free to ask what we like being referred to as, black, brown,  African American, carribbean, it’s okay to ask, we won’t bite. (not on the race atlease).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t act or say your friends back home say you act black…because honestly us black people have no idea what acting black looks or sounds like and we are usually offended when you start to act like what the media portrays black to be.

My personal pet peeve…y’all I am not gangsta,  I don’t enjoy violence, fighting, cursing (my ears bleed), so please don’t ask us what’s the craziest street thing we’ve been through. We have not all smoke weed or done drugs. We actually enjoy for the most part the same things that you do, even country music to some extend.

Also I have a question, how come it’s okay to play certain genre of music but when hip hop, rap or any black artist comes on, most of y’all are on high alert? country music can get as provocative as the above mentioned. 

 
My black racers, give people room to learn more about our beautiful. Also stand up for yourself, don’t be afraid to give feedback and say hey, y’all keep saying white people but I am BLACK and I would love for the team to acknowledge that when we are in public and doing ministry. it’s really as simple as saying , they are looking at us non locals or us Americans. People don’t know it’s an issue unless you say something. 
 
This is something I am bringing to my team and eventually to my squad,  some Christian soul music, I am all for bethel and hillsong but ain’t nothing like some black gospel music and I think if we are part of a squad that we should share who we are with them and not be afraid.
 
This blog is not to separate white from black but to help bring us closer together with understanding and room to feel open and safe to open up about the things we think and speak to other black racers about.  We are called to walk as one body and for me this is how I can help make sure future/current racers can come closer together. 

Love y’all, 

Black, Bold, Beloved, Beautiful 
Oriolyne Lubin- World racer (Aug 2017)