15 Apr Creating a Dynasty

By Alexia McKay

It’s 2021, and representation still matters—perhaps more than ever. I don’t consider myself to be the poster image for all young, Black women. However, as a Black journalist—and now publisher—I do consider my position as a small corner of a larger picture that needs to change. And I have built a platform to do it, so why not?!

RoyalTee Magazine first began as a passing thought; then I would wake up in the morning thinking about and go to bed at night lingering on. It was an idea that stayed in the “what if” and “hmm” stage longer than I’ll like to admit. Looking back now, I can see—before RoyalTee even had a name—I was in its concept phase when I was a journalism student at Florida A&M University.

After that, as a television news producer, finally my a-ha moment came. It was 2015, and I was in an apartment parking lot with my boyfriend at the time, who insisted I stopped talking about what I wanted to do and just do it!

The more I’ve poured myself into RoyalTee, the more I’ve started to see how its representation matters. In a society where people with my color of skin continue to be victimized, sexualized and criminalized, experiencing the excitement of young Black girls (and women) when they see and read about someone who looks like them and are simply being great never gets old.

The message is: “Yes, if she can do it, I can do it—and you can do it, too.”

When I think of RoyalTee, an original poem I wrote comes to mind:

Black woman, do you know you that come from Royalty?

That you’re descended from Kings and Queens?

Your brown skin alone has created entire dynasties.

From the roots of your hair to the soles of your feet,

You are an evolutionary legacy.

Black woman, do you know you come from Royalty?

Hard to believe when you were known to an entire society as a mammie. 

But just remember you sat on thrones of gold.

Through your lips, an entire culture grows.

Black woman, why would you believe anything less than what you were told?

When mama and grandma sat you up at night and told you that you were beautiful.

Black woman, just look in the mirror.

Creator of all life, you are a divine miracle.

Coils and curls that adorns the wisdom of every era.

Strength of ten thousand moons,

Bronzed majesty from the sun,

Black woman you inherited a crown,

And there are no refunds.

So Black woman, again I ask, do you know that you come from Royalty?

That you’re descended from Kings and Queens?

Your Brown skin alone has created entire dynasties.

It’s so fitting that the theme of April should be rebirth, which was also the theme for our Fall 2020 edition. As the publisher and editor-in-chief of RoyalTee Magazine, my mindset has not only transformed as an entrepreneur but also as a woman. And—if I can be even more transparent—it’s still changing.

In such transformative times, there should be a rebirth in our morals and values, starting by unlearning generations of wrongness and, yes, that includes racism.

To break those generational curses, we must have a rebirth of how we approach them, starting with uncomfortable conversations with our family and loved ones. There should be a rebirth in the way we think and treat ourselves and others. A rebirth of our priorities and what really matters in our lives.

RoyalTee stands for “to triumph, to evolve, to be elite.” Promoting a brand is one thing, but living it is another.

Some days are great, other days I fall short; however, each day is another opportunity to have a rebirth.

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Born and raised in Tampa, Fla., Alexia McKay attended Howard W. Blake High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism at Florida A&M University. Alexia has more than a decade of journalism experience and nourished her talents at BET, CBS, FOX, ABC and Spectrum news affiliates. Today she is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of RoyalTee Magazine, a quarterly publication that highlights young people of color. She is also the creator of Rattler Girls Rock, a platform that highlights women of Florida A&M, promotes sisterhood and unity among historically black colleges and universities. Alexia is the vice president of print for the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.