When Did You Become Black?
I became Black when I was born
On an island in the Caribbean
Where most people were some version of me
So many shades of brown
A mix of textures, features, colours
Joanne C. Hillhouse has authored eight books (The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, and the children’s books With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, The Jungle Outside, and To Be a Cheetah). She writes the award-winning Caribbean art and culture column CREATIVE SPACE and blogs at http;//jhohadli.wordpress.com. Joanne founded Wadadli Pen to nurture and showcase the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda, and offers workshops through her Jhohadli Writing Project. Among other accolades, she was selected as the arts and letters laureate by the Anthony N. Sabga Awards—Caribbean Excellence in 2023.