Whenever I tell another Black person that I go to a P.W.I. (Predominantly White Institution), the first thing they say is; “Oh, no I can’t do that. Too many white people.”
But in all honesty, being Black in Boone, NC is both a blessing and a curse. When you are a student of color at a school that is predominantly white, it allows you to embrace your culture and find a love for your community that you may or may not have found at another school. But as I continue my very long years at good ol’ Appalachian, many people ask me; “How the hell do you survive in Boone?” Now being Black in Boone has its pros and cons as I stated. But for the purpose of this article, I have decided to list out a couple of my personal experiences while being #BBIB.
1. The APPALCart
Since I have been in Boone I have always loved the fact that there is public transportation. As a freshman, the fact that I could ride the bus to Walmart, then McDonald's and back to campus was the best thing that this fine country could have created. I thought riding the Appalcart could possibly be my way of making a new friend or even meeting a hot guy like in the cliche movies. But every time I decide to take the bus, it seems like the same situation happens to me. I sit down in a nice hard seat and I breathe in the fumes of gas, musk, and some stale type of smell. I always try to sit by the window so that someone else can sit next to me. As the people come on the bus by the dozens, they sit in every seat, but the one by me. At first, I couldn’t give two s**ts but then it really started to bother me as people would stand next to the seat next to me instead of sitting there. I would sit and think, well do I stink? But even on the days after I have completely transformed (meaning my face was beat, I did my hair, and my wardrobe was on fleek. I can explain these words later), people would still not sit next to me. I honestly don’t know if this is a subconscious I don't want to sit next to Black girl thing or if it's a maybe I’ll stand and hope I don't die riding down the Village of Meadowview hill at a good 35 mph type of thing? But oh well, carry on my friends.
2. The Classroom
The one thing that many minorities face while going to App is ultimately being the only black person in a class. Surprise! The most interesting part of being black in an Appalachian State University classroom is that you are always looked at when the issues of race or issues that deal with anything black comes up. There was this one time I was sitting in class, and my professor started talking about slavery. I was personally not paying attention because I know about slaves, my family were slaves therefore sometimes when it is the same cliche speech about slavery, I zone out. Sue me. Anyway, the professor was going on and on while I sat there and thought about lunch. Then there was a silence and I could feel a bunch of eyes staring at me. I finally looked down from the corner of the ceiling I was staring at and the professor is staring right at me. He then asks me, “So how does your community feel about slavery? I mean is there a lot of dialogue about it and its current day effects? Can a lot of people trace back their roots?”
I didn’t really know what to say but I thought I needed to come up with a quick answer. But in my mind, I am thinking: “Wow. Okay so let us discuss some facts here. 1. Just because I am Black doesn’t mean I speak for every black person out there. 2. No, I do not know my history because my history was not written down because it was not as important as your history. 3. Why are you asking me!? Read the news. There is present day slavery at its finest and you can see that through the massive amounts of Black male incarceration.” There was a lot more explicit words being thought of as I thought, but I ended up basically telling him that I am not the spokesperson for every black person, but yes slavery is still something we discuss. It was something like that I don’t remember. But the moral of this story is, do not look for every black person in a class to answer a question cause most times, our opinion is different from the next person.
3. The issues of hair
In little old Boone, NC there are a plethora of hair salons around. However, none of which has anyone to do or cut Black textured hair, which is fine. I mean there are only a handful of us anyway right? So for me, I usually try to get my hair done whenever I can get off the mountain and drive the 3 ½ hours home. But sometimes, when I can’t get there, I have to wash my natural hair, (I’ll have another article explaining what this is), which is very textured and sometimes curly. So when I decide to wear, what I like to call my “puff”, I get the most awkward stares in class. Sometimes, if people are bold they will walk up to me and ask, “Can I touch your hair? O.M.G. it's so pretty!” Or they will start touching my hair in class without asking. Ladies and gentleman, please do not touch me unless given permission and this includes my hair. Yes, I understand my naps sometimes can look intriguing, but no do not touch it. It is important to note, that I have grease in my hair so that it does not dry and look like someone’s ashy ankles. If you touch my hair you will get grease on your hands then be confused about why your hand is greasy. Another issue that I have had with people commenting on my hair is when I decide to get a weave and my hair is suddenly straight. Sometimes when you want to feel cute you need an extra couple of inches from an outside source and when I decide to do so I get the same stares and comments of: “O.M.G. Can I touch your hair?” or “How did you get it to grow so fast?” No, you can not touch my hair and yes my hair is magical.
Overall, do I like going to Appalachia? Yes, I do. Do I think the experiences I go through will make me want to leave? Eh, probably not. Do I think that every person at App is the same? Absolutely not. However, "Being Black in Boone" is a statement and it is a statement that only people of color will understand. These experiences are not what define our time at Appalachian, it only gives us perspective on the realities that construct issues in our communities outside of Boone.