It's no secret that I'm an inner city kid. Just from my slang, and maybe the style of my clothes you can tell that, yes, I am from Brooklyn (the greatest borough in NYC). Although Brooklyn is a pretty diverse borough thanks to gentrification, for four years of my life I've attended what I would like to call a historically black high school. That means that literally my high school was dominated by black kids instead of whites.
It was a comfortable setting to me because it was what I used to. Attending a school where people looked like me meant that I didn't have to explain certain things and that we all had similar dislikes and tastes. It was indeed a comfort zone. Indeed, as a freshman in High School, I had decided that a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) was where I belonged.
It made sense. I'd spend another four more years of my life in comfort. Sure, black people are diverse. But, we were diverse to a certain limit. We were still common in some sort of way. I've been in contact with other races but never in an institution where I was forced to interact with them. I started to think to myself: was I being a coward?
The answer was yes. I was being a coward. I wanted to attend an HBCU because I was afraid of becoming the minority. I liked being the majority. I liked not worrying about things like that. The real world wasn't like an HBCU. No, realistically speaking, after I graduate I'd probably end up working in an office where there would be a handful of people who looked like me. I had to break myself in.
Break myself into what? The racist comments, the doubt, and much more negativity. But besides that, there were positive benefits attending a PWI. It meant that I was now preparing myself to learn things about different races and cultures all over the world. I was amazed at orientation because I had met a boy who was straight from Tokyo. Wow! That amazed me a lot. Being with a group of kids where things weren't common to my culture seemed like it would be the best time of my life.
I didn't want to be ignorant of other people's culture. And while google was useful with providing me information about different cultures, it is nothing compared to speaking with that person face to face.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that HBCU's powerful black people who can work in any setting. However, for my personal preference if I attended an HBCU I'd always have this discomfort of being around other races with the fear of judgment. There's always room to grow and I see my growth at a PWI.
I know attending a PWI won't be easy but I do believe that every moment of it would be worth it.
Besides, if HBCU's cater for 'African American and black kids' then please explain to me why the financial aid, sucks? Step the game up.
