Hello: I am not your Stereotype

Tamarah
2 min readMay 6, 2021

My name is Tamarah and I am a Software Engineer. That is not all I am. I’m a DIYer, building and renovating around my house. My next project is my Kitchen. Yes, I am also a homeowner. I am not a stereotype and don’t fit into the boxes people think a Black woman fits in.

A open closet. Tamarah is standing in front wearing a white floral dress and holding a green Ryobi brad nailer. Behind her are 3 floating shelves she built. The closet wall, closet door and the trim are a blue/dark grey. The room color is pink and there is a stripe of pink in the middle top inside the closet.
I little bit of fashion and tools

See my profile picture? I built those shelves in the closet! I also added the trim, added the bifold doors and painted/stained everything!

I named this blog AfroAndReno because as I was looking though instagram for DIY inspiration I didn’t see any DIYers that looked like me. I also love color and you wont find a neutral palette in my home!

I created my account in June 2020. Since then I found other Black and Hispanic DIYers but it has taken almost a year and the Instagram algorithm doesn’t show them to me…I find them from shares by other Black and Hispanic accounts.

Inside the closet while it was being build. There are two shelves. The top shelf has a hammer on it and some misc objects. The lower shelf has clamps, a Ryobi brad nailer and a battery. The wall is a blue/gray with the top part of the wall painted pink. The floor is a wood look tile.
Tools for the job

The goal of my instagram is representation, to break the stereotypes of Black women. I am a DIYer, own my home, can use tools, design/build furniture, beginner wood worker, educated, work in tech and so much more!

Closet, bare. The outline of the shelf that used to be there is visible on the wall. There is a pinkinsh/purple sample of paint on the wall. Outside of the closet the trim is white, the room is pink (Rachel pink by Sherwin Williams) and the floors are a wood look tile.
Before: Can we talk about how gross the previous owners left this wall?

The closet before…had one large shelf and a rod for hanging clothes.

With a bit of wood, lots of nails, pocket screws, a month working on it after work and on weekends this closet was transformed.

It has a lot of storage which is exactly what I needed in what is used as a home office. I also learned a lot doing this project which is why I love DIYins and also why I love Software engineering.

Using my brain, the internet and my hands to build something cool. Follow along!

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Tamarah

Software Engineer, DIYer, amateur Carpenter...breaking stereotypes one by one