I am fortunate enough to identify as African American, and I am proud to be who I am. That is something tough for some people to say because of the current situation revolving around the #blacklivesmatter movement. There are both positive and negatives about growing up black, and I want to share these experiences with you.
Something that makes me laugh every time I think about it is how the white Wonder Bread loaves were used as sandwich, hamburger and hot dog buns. I remember the days very clearly when I would eat boiled hot dogs with those Wonder Bread loaves as a bun and ketchup. Was it unusual? Maybe, sure. Was it good? You bet! I know this is something most African American people can relate to. Now that I look back on that habit, I think wow, I do not even like hot dogs anymore. But, it was delicious back then.
One important aspect of growing up African American is dealing with natural hair. That’s right, for those who can relate to me, you know those endless hours braiding your hair, or combing every inch of your thick hair, or using the hot comb to straighten your hair. I remember growing up as a kid and wanting to straighten my hair every chance I got because natural, black hair was considered not beautiful. Now, I am proud to have my natural hair and to embrace it. Although, I must say, it requires a lot of work and many products to maintain.
We all know African Americans are considered the minority, and being the only black kid in class enforces that. Not only in the classroom, but blacks can sometimes be the only person in a meeting, the workplace, etc. It is an awkward situation, and I can speak from experience. For me, I felt like everyone else is judging me and categorizing me as the stereotypical dumb black kid in class. Feeling this way, I know that I have to work hard to prove them wrong.
Tying into the notion of feeling judged, growing up African American, especially in today’s society, means dealing with police officers. For me personally, I have never really been confronted by a police officer for nothing other than not having my name written on my student MetroCard (yes, it was my MetroCard, and I know a lot of NYC high school students can relate to this). Many black people, both young and old, male and female, have had the unfortunate experience of being confronted by a police officer for odd reasons. One of the biggest reasons is stop and frisk. This is a problem because many young black men are being stopped and frisked because of the stereotype that blacks are violent, dangerous and threatening.
And sometimes, the results of these stop and frisks results in injured people, or even killed people. We all know recent events with Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and many other have sparked the #blacklivesmatter movement. For me personally, I do not know if I consider myself to be safe around police officers. As a little girl, I knew I was safe around a police officer because their job is to protect Americans. However, times have changed, and every time I see a police officer, I become more alert and I tense up. This is not how I am supposed to feel, but I cannot help it if every time I pass a police officer, there is a chance that I could be injured or even worse. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality we live in and the sad reality African Americans have to face.
Now, to end this article on a positive note, growing up African American means attending the greatest parties (weddings, birthdays, barbecues, etc.) ever. Almost every summer, my family will throw our somewhat annual Fourth of July barbecue, and let me tell you, it is amazing. Many people, and I mean many people attend our barbecue. Black parties are amazing because of the music, the people and the food. The food is delicious. I know some of you reading this can relate: the barbecue chicken, the rice and peas, jerk chicken, baked mac and cheese, curry, etc. (I know, your mouth must be watering right now). All those foods are what I live for when going to a black party.
There is so much more to talk about what it means to grow up black, but I just thought I would share my experience with you. I am proud to be who I am today, an African American woman, despite the unfortunate circumstances I have to deal with.
