If you know me you know that the one thing that I love more than being a Regal Lady is being a black woman! Society may think that we are double minority, but i call it being extra special. Does society place barriers on women? Yes! And we know how real the struggle is being black in America. But when you sit back and remove the negative views from society and think about the positive facts from reality you’ll see that being a black woman is pretty dope.
Our melanin, our hair, our curves, our style….EVERYONE “low key I mean high key” really wishes they were a black woman.
As wonderful as we are, we need to make an effort to support and uplift each other. far too often we are depicted as loud, ignorant, angry and violent human beings full of jealousy and anger. Not often do you see the well mannered, educated, “class, confident and compelling” women in our communities. Let’s change that!
In honor of National Women’s History month I decided to shine the light on one of my closest friends making history in her own right
Meet Regal Lady of the Month, Chuckwunonso Angel Dureke.
½ of NKem Life, “Chuck D, Nonso or Angellll” as I like to call her is an upcoming Howard University MFA student, artist, and soon to be director (gotta speak things into existence right)
I figured we would start off by playing a game of THIS or THAT (...and WHY)
Womanist or Feminist
Womanist Alice Walker, the God Mother of Womanism , showed me the light and allowed me to see that I am a womanist. The 3 waves of feminism did not cover the narrative of women of color . So I don’t identify with feminism because it never really had my narrative in mind. During the Women’s Suffrage, Blacks weren’t even allowed to vote, womanism was the platform that finally gave women of color a voice.
African American or African
NIGERIAN- AMERICAN ( I don’t , cant and WONT identify as African-American because I know exactly where in Africa I am from)
Perm or Natural
PERM ( I use to rock perms and weaves, now I’m natural for personal reasons, my afro and I are in a complicated relationship. I like her most when she complies with my chosen twist out style lol )
What was the purpose of creating NkemLife?
The purpose of Nkem-Life was to create a safe place for women of color, especially women from the Diaspora. We wanted a place for them to express themselves and issues greater than outfit of the day and how to properly beat one’s face. Nkem Life’s objective is to explore various issues pertaining to women, cultures, foods, styles, hot spots, natural products and women entrepreneurship around the world. Ultimately, Nkemlife is a lifestyle blog created by two sisters (my sister Chi-Chi and I), to share our personal styles, business and views on life, family and womanhood. (En – khem) means “mine” or “my own.” Nkem Life means “My Life” My sister and I hope that Nkem Life will be a positive platform to inspire and challenge women to think and do differently.
Recently you created a mini docuseries called the Black Code Project. If you could create a documentary on the status of young black women today, what would you primarily focus on?
Hmmm? If I could create a documentary on the status of young black women today, I would primarily focus on the climate of womanhood in America and how it correlates to social media today, in response to how black women identify with themselves with the daily images we take in.
In honor of National Women's Month, who do you admire the most or look up to?
Funny enough, I know this may seem cliché but I look up to my mother, Margaret Dureke, who recently became The Goodwill Ambassador of The Gambia. As an Igbo woman raised in a rural village in Nigeria, with nothing but a lantern to read her books at night while receiving her education. It is amazing to see how far she has gone and the women she has become. I always wanted to be like her, and I take joy in knowing that that is slowly happening now. My mom came to America, to receive a degree from Howard University and I always told myself one day I would be a Howard Girl like my mommy. Now I can proudly say, I am continuing my mother’s legacy this upcoming fall as I attend Howard University to receive an MFA in Film.
What makes you a Regal Lady?
I think a regal lady, is a well-balanced woman, a renaissance woman who is able to do It all with style and grace. She wants to have a happy home and self-fulfilling career. Honestly, when I think of myself, I think of myself.