More than the colour of her skin!

So one of the biggest news I've heard recently is the fact that Misty Copeland has been promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre!

And if you don't know who Misty is...

She is such an inspirational woman who has overcome all the adversities in her life and even though the odds were NOT in her favour, she still rose above it all to become principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre!!

But do you know what my FB page was littered with when news broke that she was promoted?
"Misty Copeland on becoming American Ballet Theatre's first black principal"
"Misty Copeland makes history as first black female principal dancer at ABT"
"...the courageous black ballerina..."

And maybe it's because I'm not American, and I don't quite get the whole African American history and everything, but I just thought that the way to defy racism is not to openly promote that she is the first "black" principal dancer, but to promote that she has been promoted to principal dancer, someone who is an inspiration DESPITE her skin colour!

I was first introduced to Misty with the above video, where she narrates her rejection letter saying that she was the 'wrong body type' and she was 'too old' but all I could see was the strength in her body, the absolute fluidity in the way she moved and the freedom she expresses when she danced. Not the colour of her skin. To be honest, the thought that she was African American didn't even cross my mind! But what annoys me is that nobody else seems to be able to get over this fact!

Again, it could be because I'm not American, but I don't know, shouldn't the fact that she has overcome all this adversity in her life to be who she wants to be enough? Should the fact that her skin is dark come into play at all? It's like they're making the fact that she's black another adversity that she had to overcome, when really, it shouldn't be like that. Black people are not the ONLY poor people in America. There are plenty of other people who are just as inspiring as Misty, who have also overcome terrible childhoods to become something incredible, and they have all come from different races. The fact that they were able to keep going despite being abused, or homeless, or were broke is inspiration enough to me.

Just look at J.K. Rowling. She came from a family who's mum was dealing with MS and dad wasn't around. She went into poverty whilst writing the Harry Potter books and look at her now. Doesn't matter if she's white, black, yellow, or red, she rose from nothing and became something. Same with Richard Branson (who was dyslexic), Walt Disney (who went through a period of unemployment), and, of course, Oprah Winfrey - though again, because she's African American everyone focuses on the colour of her skin.

To me, I just think that if you keep labeling Misty Copeland (and anybody else with similar stories), as the first black person to become principal dancer at ABT, then how is racism and discrimination going to be eradicated? Because isn't it all about labeling others based on their appearance? I would prefer people to recognise Misty Copeland as a beautiful dancer who has overcome a terrible upbringing and has made something of herself. Because she really is!