“No matter where you are from your dreams are valid”- Lupita Nyong’o
Nyong’o epitomizes this quote. Celebrations were held everywhere yesterday in Kenya after one of their own, Nyong’o took home the prize of Best Supporting Actress from the Oscars on Sunday night, the first ever to do so. The president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, tweeted his congratulations to the young actress calling her “The Pride of Africa.”
Also in keeping the African tradition of honoring the elders in the community, he congratulated her parents for their part in her achievements. Tweeting: “Excellence inspires and deserves emulation. Lupita reminds us of all that is possible for the youth of this nation when they set their hearts and minds to a great task — in her own words, ‘No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.’ We, their parents, must take these words to heart; ours is to help our young people fulfill their potential.”
Nyong’o was born in Mexico (which is why her parents gave her a Mexican first name) but raised in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. She comes from a prominent Kenyan political family.
After winning she gave a shout-out to home with her beautiful Prada Oscar dress, calling it “Nairobi Blue.”
Nyong’o played the role of Patsy in the Oscar Winning film 12 Years a Slave. Her searing performance as a strong spirited slave who was brutally abused by her sadistic master, made Hollywood sit up and take notice. However, it is beauty, elegance, and grace that caught the eyes of black girls all over the world.
At a time when twerking has attracted so much attention, Nyong’o remains natural and refined-everything about her is timeless.
Recently, Nyong’o gave a speech about beauty where she read an inspiring letter from a fan. Part of the letter read, “Dear Lupita, I think you are so lucky to be so successful and so black in Hollywood. I was just about to buy Dentures Whitening cream to lighten my skin. When you appeared on the world map and saved me. “
Nyong’o has become an image of hope for so many. As a black girl, when one turns on the T.V. and only sees pale skin-one begins to believe that the reason why they are not represented on television is because they are not beautiful.
Every girl begins to understand the importance of beauty from a young age. During her speech about beauty, Nyong’o shared how as a little girl all she wanted was lighter skin. At night she would pray to wake up lighter… and every morning she would wake up disappointed.
Her mother would tell her how beautiful she was, but of course this was no consolation. She was her mother. Then one day, an African model named Alek came on the international scene. She was as black as night and on every magazine cover- the world was raving about how beautiful she was.
Nyong’o admitted, “I couldn’t believe that people were embracing a woman who looked so much like me as beautiful. My complexion had always been an obstacle to overcome…all of a sudden it wasn’t… I wanted to reject it because I was beginning to enjoy the seduction of inadequacy…but when I saw Alek I inadvertently saw a reflection of me that I could not deny…Now I had a spring in my step because I felt more appreciated by the faraway gate keepers of beautiful.”
She went on to eloquently say, “Beauty is something you just have to be, because you cannot rely on how you look to sustain you…What actually sustains is compassion…. it is fundamentally beautiful. Compassion for yourself, for others, and for those around you…that kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul.”
