Salt and pepper melanin magic refers to the natural graying process of hair as one ages. Melanin, a pigment responsible for hair color, gradually decreases over time, leading to the appearance of gray or white hair. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as "salt and pepper" due to the mixture of dark and light strands. Despite societal pressures to conceal gray hair, embracing this change can be seen as a celebration of aging and a symbol of wisdom and experience. This transition can be viewed as a beautiful transformation, highlighting the uniqueness and individuality of each person. By accepting salt and pepper hair, individuals can embrace their natural beauty and confidently showcase their melanin magic.
By accepting salt and pepper hair, individuals can embrace their natural beauty and confidently showcase their melanin magic..
A Speck of Pepper in a Sea of Salt
Thanks for sticking with us. We are heading West, to the places that we have already LEFT. This post, the second in our series of five, recounts our stories. The anecdotes we recall illustrate the need for more BIPOC representation, retention and inclusivity to ensure that camp is a place of belonging for all.
Makela Elvy, M.Ed
Makela Elvy, M.Ed, is an environmental educator and camp enthusiast. Over the course of her career, Elvy has held camp positions ranging from head counselor to program manager. Her experience includes nature interpretation, curriculum development and the creation of a 10-week venture program rooted in experiential learning.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” - Audre Lorde
It was the summer after second grade when I was first introduced to this idea of camp. I was seven-years old and just joining the Fun Bunch group at a local day camp in my neighborhood. I remember feeling the butterflies of excitement and nervousness fluttering back and forth between my stomach and my mind. I had many questions but the one that I can remember most distinctly was, what does it mean to be a camper and why does my mom think I should become one? Those butterflies quickly flew away when we arrived at a campsite in the Hudson Valley and I met the other kids and counselors that would change my life forever. For the most part all of us were meeting one another for the first time so we decided, in our friend groups, what camp meant and the counselors guided us through this process. Together we played, competed, created, laughed and discovered ourselves as campers. I realize now that the reason my initial camp experience was overwhelmingly positive was because most of the campers and counselors at the camp shared my identities as a racial minority and inner-city youth. There were certain cultural norms that, to my knowledge, no one spoke about but somehow we all understood.
As I began to pursue a career in environmental education, recreation and camp the color began to fade. Many times I found myself one of the few Black bodies in the room. One of the most eye-opening moments in my career was when I was working as a head camp counselor in Staten Island and noticed that not only was I the only Black head counselor on staff, but the majority of the campers were also white. This was the moment I realized that the deeper I got into my career, the more often I would find myself, like Brittany Packnett Cunningham - “a speck of pepper in a sea of salt”. Despite the minimal diversity at this particular camp, I attribute my successful summers in Staten Island to the camp leadership and staff's cultural and racial awareness. The ability to safely navigate conversations around diversity, equity, race, culture and identity with my colleagues helped me overcome my initial feelings of isolation and made it possible for us to weave inclusion into the very fabric of our camp culture.
When I reflect on my different experiences at camps, I feel extremely lucky to be able to recount these few positive moments when camp got it right, despite the numerous moments where I felt ostracized or forgotten. For fear of being vulnerable or saying something hurtful, conversations around diversity, equity, race, culture and identity are avoided at camp, especially at racially homogenous camps. But if we avoid these conversations at the staff level, how can we adequately build the emotional and social intelligence of our campers? The answer is we can’t.
Camp, much like a chrysalis, is often regarded as a place where youth go to transform, creating and re-creating themselves to emerge at the end as refined individuals ready to take on the upcoming school-year. After observing two summer camps: one predominantly white and one multiracial, to better understand the the role of race in identity formation and group dynamics amongst campers, associate professor Valerie Ann Moore concludes “the invisibility of whiteness and white privilege makes it harder for whites to interrogate race relations fully and recognize the social construction of race, whereas the experience of being a "racial minority" highlights the arbitrariness of race” (2002).
Throughout the study Moore also provides evidence for the ideas that “the presence of children of color introduce a wider range of power dynamics into clique structures”, and also “the instability and fluidity regarding conceptions of race that kids of color bring to a setting disrupt easy definitions of "in-group" and "out-group," thus affecting the social negotiation of identity in that setting” (2002). When it comes to identity formation, self-esteem and leadership development, campers benefit most from socializing with a diverse peer group because these groups serve as a microcosm of society at large.
Time after time experts affirm what we camp folks know to be true: camp teaches children invaluable lessons - self-respect, leadership and compassion. These lessons shape the way children see themselves and navigate the world around them. Striving for a camp culture where diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is embedded throughout will not only increase these benefits, but also “help build a successful nation and a civil society” (American Camp Association, 2015) justly.
Briana Michele Mitchell
Briana has been a camp attendee since the age of six and a previous camp counselor and Teach for America Corps Member. Most importantly, Briana is a lifelong chaser of that “camp feeling.” She is the Director of AF Camp, a Change Summer camp, where she works to create high-quality, summer opportunities for students that will increase their overall confidence, responsibility, curiosity, and independence.
“Don’t trust what you know of yourself. Believe in me, believe in what we teach. I.E., our language, our culture and a graven image that looks just like me. Blond hair, blue eyes.” - Michelle Antionette Nelson
I first attended camps at an early age, six for specificity, and was enrolled in a variety of them throughout my childhood. Academic enrichment programs at prep schools, NBA hosted basketball camps (somehow my layup is still awful), tennis, and later theater camps, filled my summers. Then I went to sleepaway camp. Living with new and unfamiliar people brings to light a cannonade of differences that are easily obfuscatable while at day camps.
Sleepaway camp jarringly presented me with an awareness that has yet to dissipate even as I write this post today - otherness. The intimate nature of cohabitation creates space wherein variances become identifiable. I spent two summers in middle school at an all-girls sleepaway camp in rural Pennsylvania. More than 20 years later, I can quite readily recall:
- Having to leave camp to get my hair braided and the arduous and painstaking explanations that entailed before, during and after;
- Wanting to learn everything about my one Black and one Hispanic counselor;
- That same Black counselor staying up with me well into the night to “take down” my braids before my appointment the following day;
- Putting on sunblock - and what a spectacle that was to behold for my peers;
- Subsequently explaining that yes, my skin was indeed peeling and that yes, I could in fact sunburn;
- Being ogled by my fellow campers and enclosed in a circle of onlookers as I danced with another camper of color at a party;
- Being able to spot my family on visiting day without any difficulty;
- Flocking to the handful of other campers of color;
I could have, as the quote suggested above, allowed the lack of representation to negatively impact my self-image and my summers at camp. However, in spite of each recounted instance, sleepaway camp was something that I enjoyed. Even still, every day of my seven-week session I knew that I was different.
I spent the summers between my freshman and junior years of college as a camp counselor at an all girls sleepaway camp in Pennsylvania, different from the one I attended as a camper. Summers feel dissimilar as a staff member versus as a camper. While this is not a Rubik’s cube-level concept, it is important to call out some of the points of divergence.
As a camper (especially at an expensive, premiere residential camp) campers feel entitled to their opinions and are open to expressing them. At camp the primary customer is the camper and so their experience is prioritized. In my two summers as a counselor, I can quite readily recall:
- Being told that I was a princess like the campers, but a Black version;
- Being shouted out in a program meeting for using two “SAT level” words in one sentence (analogous and trepidation. Yep. I still remember them);
- Feeling more nervous than my white counterparts when parents came on visiting day and mentioning that I was studying International Relations at USC more times than was probably necessary;
- Being asked by program staff to perform at a talent show as Destiny’s Child alongside the two other counselors of color (there were no other staff members participating in this performance);
- A camper touching my ponytail without my permission and comparing its feel to a cat tail;
- There being zero Black male staff members;
- There being plenty of white male staff members;
- A white male staff member telling me that my correcting his pronunciation of my name (Bri-On-Ah, not Bri-Anne-Uh) was the, “most condescending thing [he had] ever heard.”
Working as a camp counselor I developed and honed the skill of taking things professionally, not personally even though somethings felt very personal. Working at camps I was a race edition magic eight ball of sorts. Do I really sunburn? All signs point to yes (that one never goes away).
Camps are a microcosm of the greater world and of the society in which we live.
Even as a rising sophomore in college, it was evident to me that as a Womxn of color planning to enter the economic mainstream, these would not be the last instances wherein I would be a speck of pepper in a sea of salt. These would not be the only times I would have to swallow microaggressions and both ardently and consistently provide the disclaimer that I speak for and represent myself, not my race.
Your camp may only have a smattering of campers and staff members of color. Sure, they may be able to survive the summer without seeing themselves reflected more within the population. But, is that the best that we can do?
We in the camp world are in the business of building fun, developing social-emotional skills, and curating lifelong memories. What camp owner looking to recruit new families would bluster that a child could merely survive their summer at camp? Our bar must be higher than that.
Diversifying the camp world starts by ensuring that all who call camp their summer home feel seen, heard and celebrated. Throughout this process, representation is extremely important. A study on 4-H programs, which share many similarities with camp institutions, found that “the presence of minority agents, assistants, and leaders served as a catalyst for getting youth involved and retaining them” (Cano & Bankston, 1992). As we collectively strive towards a more diverse and inclusive camp culture, consider taking the steps below:
1) Assess your organization to identify areas for improvement. Who does your camp service and what are their needs? Think about who your stakeholders are and grow from there.
2)Discuss your demographics. Are you talking about DEI topics? When do you talk about them, before or after a season? Who is included or left out of these conversations?
3) The three R’s: reflection, representation and retention. Does your staff represent the youth you serve? Are they trained to navigate discussions about DEI topics? Does your camp culture embrace differences and promote inclusion?
For those lamenting that it's a challenge to attract and retain campers and staff of color, we want to leave you with this thought- one positive summer begets another- that’s how we bring S’more Melanin to the camp world. We will talk more about how camps can build more inclusivity, and emotional safety in our future posts. Until then, come get s’more content - follow us on Instagram @smoremelanin.
Cano, J., & Bankston, J. (1992). Factors Which Influence Participation and Non-participation of Ethnic Minority Youth in Ohio 4-H Programs. Retrieved from https://www.jae-online.org/attachments/article/737/Cano, J & Bankston, J_Vol33_1_23-29.pdf
Moore, V. A. (2002). The Collaborative Emergence of Race in Children's Play: A Case Study of Two Summer Camps. Social Problems, 49(1), 58-78. doi:10.1525/sp.2002.49.1.58
American Camp Association. (2015, September 25). Press: Benefits of Camp. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from https://www.acacamps.org/press-room/benefits-of-camp
Nelson, Michelle Antoinette. “We Made It! Haven’t We?” Black Marks on White Paper, Michelle Antoinette Nelson, 2010, pp. 155-157.
Camp, much like a chrysalis, is often regarded as a place where youth go to transform, creating and re-creating themselves to emerge at the end as refined individuals ready to take on the upcoming school-year. After observing two summer camps: one predominantly white and one multiracial, to better understand the the role of race in identity formation and group dynamics amongst campers, associate professor Valerie Ann Moore concludes “the invisibility of whiteness and white privilege makes it harder for whites to interrogate race relations fully and recognize the social construction of race, whereas the experience of being a "racial minority" highlights the arbitrariness of race” (2002).
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Reviews for "Salt and Pepper Melanin: Embracing Natural Makeup and Cosmetics"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I wanted to love "Salt and Pepper Melanin Magic" because I love books that celebrate diversity. However, I found the characters to be one-dimensional and lacking depth. The story felt forced and predictable, with no real surprises or twists. The dialogue was also quite weak and unrealistic. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. David - 1 star - I couldn't get through "Salt and Pepper Melanin Magic." The writing style was incredibly choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to follow the storyline. The characters were flat and uninteresting, which made it hard for me to care about what happened to them. Additionally, the plot was filled with cliches and lacked originality. I had high hopes for this book, but it fell short of my expectations.
3. Jessica - 2 stars - "Salt and Pepper Melanin Magic" started off promising with its diverse cast and unique setting. However, as the story progressed, I found myself getting more and more bored. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I didn't feel invested in the characters or their journeys. Some parts felt unnecessarily long and dragged on, while others were rushed and lacked proper development. Overall, I was underwhelmed by this book and found it to be a forgettable read.