College

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Not content to live with tokenism

Tokenism is being the one black student in a classroom full of white students. It’s being the only Hispanic employee in a predominantly white organization, and it’s when that historically white school or organization says it’s diverse because of that one black or Hispanic student or employee. For me, it’s meant being one of two black students in my class at my Connecticut private elementary school, St. Thomas’s Day School. It’s meant being the only black person in most of…

Butt…

[caption id="attachment_1003" align="alignleft" width="149"]Me in 2014, around the time of the Brad Jackson incident.[/caption] An old college classmate smacked my ass in a diner a few years ago. I didn't know this was considered sexual assault until recently. His name was Brad Jackson. He was one of the first people I met at Southern Connecticut State University after transferring from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. He was friendly to me when I didn't know many people at my new school.…

The Prodigal Friend

[caption id="attachment_866" align="alignleft" width="401"] Taylor and I, freshman year at FAMU.[/caption] Taylor staggered into my dorm room in the middle of the night. Her speech was slurred, so I could only make out the part about her coming from some type of initiation party. She was wearing a short, light blue dress, and she had brown, curly braids. My roommate must have let her in. Taylor said a few words, then giggled. Then she fell into our dresser and giggled…

AfterBirth

When you go see the movie “Birth of a Nation” and then return home to “your” city that’s 8 percent black; where your upstairs neighbor, a white male, continually tries to convince your black dad why he and other black people should vote for Trump, a misogynistic man with a history of racial discrimination lawsuits; where another neighbor who’s a white cop, has only spoken to you once in the 3 years you’ve lived next door to him - that…

Great Expectations

[caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] Me and some of the girls from Spelman College's Early College Program in 1999[/caption] I had my life planned out at nine-years-old. One Thursday night, while I was at my grandmother’s house for our weekly Cosby Show date, we discussed where I would go to college and graduate school. I knew Hillman College would prepare me to become a lawyer, an author, and a cashier. Cliff and Claire Huxtable went there. He was a doctor, and…

Getting Over My First Love – Part 2

  [caption id="attachment_239" align="alignnone" width="283"] Me and my emotionally supportive crew at FAMU. Thank you ladies for being there for me through all of this, even for the parts I didn't tell you about. #mentalaerobic[/caption] J: Are you sure you're ready to share this part? Me: I don't know. *Hits Post Button* [PART TWO] (Part One is here http://bit.ly/219wLs5, if you missed it.) It was the beginning of sophomore year. I got back to Tallahassee before Michael did. I couldn’t wait to…

Getting Over My First Love – Part 1

[caption id="attachment_221" align="alignleft" width="294"] The 18-year-old version of Me at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL[/caption] A week or two ago, an old friend from college asked me why I transferred from FAMU, and I started thinking and writing about it. I realize now, 13 years later, it was because I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of a break up…well not just any break up – my first love. I'm a little nervous about this one…