Personal Narrative: I Am A Woman Of Color

The worker contacted Misty Black who is a friend of Brittany Hardin. Mrs. Black stated “Brittany was in a situation where her ex (well she told me they were already broken up at the time) had assaulted her. Brittany had called me after Ronita Grady had hit her so I immediately called the police and made my way to Brittany. When I arrived the OCPD were already there speaking to Brittany. The officers also spoke to me and I told him I was the one who called them. After the police left Brittany and the boys stayed with me for a couple days because Brittany was still shaken up. The boys all seemed okay, I don’t think they really knew what had just happened. Brittany thanked me for helping her, because at the time we weren’t really speaking to

“You are the whitest black girl I know”. Throughout my academic career these words have followed me. From a very early age my parents instilled a drive in me to always do my best and take pride in everything I do, because some people aren’t given the opportunity to do so. As a result, I naturally stood out from others who were not as driven. Growing up, I became ashamed about of my accomplishments and demeanor when nicknames such as “oreo” replaced the name my mother had given me because I didn’t act “black”. According to my peers, I was “dark on the outside and white on the inside.” because I “talked like a white girl” and “tried too hard in class”. I believe these undesirable circumstances have taught me the hard way to love myself.

Growing up as an african american male it was hard to identify my character throughout my educational career. At a very young age my dad alway wanted me to succeed in life, but in the back of my mind I always thought “ Am I really cut out to becoming successful”. I grew up in a culturally diverse suburban area. Growing up in the suburban area I made unbreakable bonds that will forever exist.

Being a minority woman in a predominantly white institution has its challenges, however, it has been a great learning experience. Throughout high school my grandmother motivated and pushed me to do my best while explaining how there was so much out there in the world for me, I just had to work for it. Now I understand.

All throughout time people have been “the other.” Pratt refers to the other as being “Someone who is perceived by the dominant culture as not belonging, as they have been

As an African-American women living in a modern society realistically I have a disadvantage over the majority. Those circumstances clearly manifest manifest in passive aggressive ways in my daily life. Ultimately, it trickle down to me going that extra mile to gain everyones approval in order to beat the typical stereotypes. This endless cycle allowed certain people to gain power in control. Meanwhile, as I press to prove my worth my value went down. One day I was reflecting on my life, specifically relationships and I realized that the people I tried to

I’d like to say I’m a very unique person. Not because of my hair, the way I dress, or how I look, but because of the unique things I bring with the person I am. All my life I’ve been the minority. From my preschool, to my church, my elementary and high school. Being black is something I embrace. I love my melanin skin tone, my nappy hair and I love teaching others about being a young black educated women. It hasn’t always been like that though. For majority of my life I use to try and fit in with the crowd. I use to always wear my hair straight so I could look like the girl standing next to me. My natural hair was beautiful too my mom and everyone else around me, but I felt like I had to step up and wear my hair straight everyday just to feel

I am Black or African American, however society wants to call it. Sometimes people that because I am a lighter complexion that I have an advantage and that is definitely not the case. Unfortunately, I can remember the first time I was exposed to racism. I was in Wal-Mart with my mother standing in line and to pass time i was reading the cover of the magazines. A Caucasian lady had the nerve to say "that n***** know how to read!" As a child I didn't understand but my mother was irate. That stuck with me for a while, and it doesn't get any better when you go into stores and you are followed because of the color of your skin. At that moment I was old enough to realize what was going on and I walked out the store. I see now what my parents meant

Currently, I am in the process of not only becoming comfortable in my identity, a black queer woman, but, also attempting to find solace in my identity as well. Something that all women, especially black queer women, should achieve in their lifetime. It is that dream that inspires me to travel to experience other cultures and to unite with women from various cultures across the black diaspora. Throughout many cultures, women’s identities are defined by their male counterparts and the labor they provide to them. Therefore, a major goal of mine is to create a space where women are able to exist outside the scope of their relationships with men and live uninhibitedly to become their best selves. That is why I find it pertinent to travel not only

Two years ago I joined a no-cut rowing club. At the time I was not what you would call athletic. I took up the sport because I thought it resembled rowing a whitewater river raft. I couldn't have been more wrong in my life.

The area I live in offers few opportunities for improving race relations; in fact, there is very little racial diversity in my region. Nevertheless, I am ready to promote better race relations at every chance. Yes, the scale on which I work is small, but it still helps to push our society to become more accepting. I have never participated in a large event or social rights movement, but I still try to make my mark.

Left, right, left right left! Eight states - in which you absolutely love or simply just hate- two elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools all throughout my childhood. At times I could not actually tell individuals where I’m from or even tell them who I truly was as a person. Having those moments where you never understood why you had to leave those friends that you created such a strong bond with. It doesn’t hit you until years that it’s just not society that emerges throughout life: it’s our allies that develops and matures, as do ourselves, and our tie with those friends (Flinn, J., 2004). I finally understand how moving every eighteen months has influenced my scope on society as a whole. It shows how “sites undergo

traveling to have never seen a group of white women before. This discussion concerned me a bit, just as every time you travel abroad does, but I remember reflecting on the conversation after the fact. I made the realization that I had never been the racial minority ever in my life. Yet I still would not be a minority to the same degree as people of color are in our country. I, being a white female, still held privilege, the privilege of being white. This astonished me, I felt guilty for reasons unknown to me, and I felt that I had done something wrong. As I most likely had, by carrying out the micro-aggressions that we are taught at such a young age. I had not asked to be white, it was just genetics. But by being white, I held the privilege

“I'm stuck between who I am, who I want to be, and who I should be.” - Unknown

Being a white female my culture is different. The way we dress, speak, and the food we eat are something that stand out. Also my age sticks out to other people. People often think of