"All these rituals Brown, Black, and melanated folks have for staying safe in the world. It's our fear of the unknown, we think by dimming our light for white people's comfort, our safety might become known to us. White people will know we are not a threat. It sucks to know the body is a target. To know that the flesh and hair follicles I was born with can be weaponized against me."

Happy Pub Day! Thanks to @rowhousepub and @christopher__rivas for the gifted copy. Brown Enough by Christopher Rivas is out today and it's one you don't want to miss if you're into stories about exploring identity, the experiences of being in between, doing anti-racist work and decolonizing your mentality. Rivas' voice was fresh, honest, introspective and he tells his story with full transparency. He shows us what doing the self work looks like and doesn't shy away from the ugly parts and difficulties and demonstrates how growth comes from acknowledging mistakes, making changes and finding a way forward and through for others.

Rivas takes us on a personal journey of what it means to be Brown in America and the importance of owning identities for our ourselves. Rivas is candid about how Brownness often feels like being excluded, silenced or even forgotten. He also talks about the ways that living in a world of binary thinking doesn't leave room for intersectionality, equal representation and more nuanced conversations about identity. I loved that he illustrated that liberation movements thrive when marginalized groups show up for each rather than engage in the "what aboutisms".

It was interesting to read his perspective about art and being creative and the ways that it can become a space to promote representation, open doors for other marginalized identities and provide activism. He is forthright about his identity struggles in Hollywood, imposter syndrome, colorism and anti-blackness in Latinx culture, what it means to be a child of immigrants, how he formed community and how challenging the process of unlearning white supremacy is.

I found myself relating to many of his experiences and I'm sure that this book will resonate with other non-white groups. This book is a great starting point for having some deeper conversations about the idea of not being seen as enough because of their phenotype, economic status or other form of "otherness". As an added bonus Rivas shares wisdom from and credits live-action leaders from the past to evoke greater meanings. I'm looking forward to sharing this one with others and digging a little deeper. ( )