When news broke of Karyn Washington's- creator of the blog For Brown Girls (FBC)-passing, I was completely shocked.
Just days before, I had bookmarked a story on the Baltimore beauty, who had created the social movement #DarkSkinRedLips Project that dealt with colorism and taught black women and little black girls how to love themselves through rocking bold lipstick. Call me slow or living under a rock, but it was my first time really hearing of her, and I remember thinking how excited I was to get to know her, so much so I set reminder on my phone to reach out to her for an in interview.
Sadly, we'd never have the opportunity. Just days later, she ended her own life.
Karyn's death sent shocked waves throughout social media from the legions of individuals her life touched while shedding another light on mental illness in the black community. Though our paths never crossed, I still felt a sense of loss, yet mixed feelings of hopefulness.
Karyn's vision of the #DarkSkinRedLips Project was she created after rapper A$AP Rocky (who needs to have several) insinuated that dark-skin women can't wear red lipstick. The project would go on to become a social phenomenon spawning numerous of pictures of black women online with bright lips. Even though she physical is gone, her legacy remains in this vision. Her legacy lives on in every black girl and black woman who now feels empowered after seeing all the beautiful black women on social media confidently relishing in their own skin. There is still a need for the movements Karyn so courageously created. It is up to us to keep this young visionary's torch burning and continue carrying on what she started through loving and accepting ourselves and each other.
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Dear Karyn, rest in peace knowing that you have fulfilled your life's purpose. 