Many of you would know that I’ve been planning to take my blog in a new direction in 2018.

And this week couldn’t be a more perfect time to unveil the changes being made to I Am Starstruck.

I’m thrilled to share that as of today, I’ll be launching I Am Starstruck’s ‘Draw Your Box’ campaign, aimed at celebrating diversity, social justice and human interest stories.

Of course, entertainment will still continue to be covered, because after all, there’s many famous people who feel passionate about those topics I mentioned.

 

So what’s this all about, and why am I choosing to drop this on you all right now?

Someone who is set to make history in a matter of sleeps is Meghan Markle when she marries Prince Harry on Saturday.

She’ll become the first of African-American descent to join the British royal family.

In fact, the biracial actress, whose mother is black and father is white, is breaking barriers in many respects. She’s also older than Prince Harry, a divorcee, and a TV actress.

I read an essay Meghan penned for Elle UK a while back, in which she reflected on the struggles she faced with race while growing up in America. Meghan opened up about a particular incident in seventh grade. She wrote:

“There was a mandatory census I had to complete in my English class — you had to check one of the boxes to indicate your ethnicity: white, black, Hispanic or Asian. There I was (my curly hair, my freckled face, my pale skin, my mixed race) looking down at these boxes, not wanting to mess up, but not knowing what to do. You could only choose one, but that would be to choose one parent over the other — and one half of myself over the other […] I didn’t tick a box. I left my identity blank — a question mark, an absolute incomplete — much like how I felt. When I went home that night, I told my dad what had happened. He said the words that have always stayed with me: “If that happens again, you draw your own box.”

And there you have it: “draw your own box”.

Inspired by Meghan’s words, ‘Draw Your Box’ couldn’t be a more appropriate name for this new direction I’m taking I Am Starstruck in.

The agenda is to promote diversity in various aspects, and encourage everyone to draw their own box and be their own person in all facets of life.

I welcome you on this journey and look forward to seeing where it leads us.

x Alicia