Why Representation Matters

Name: Crystal

Attending a predominantly white college as a Puerto Rican and Dominican female was more impactful than I originally thought. Growing up in New York City, I was used to seeing people of all shades that looked like me, talked like me and people that even came from similar backgrounds. I was always grateful for being exposed to all different types of ethnicities, cultures, and economic backgrounds on a day to day basis. The first thing I noticed as a freshman, was that there were not many people that looked the way I did. I have not actually felt like a member of a marginalized group until I came to college. I realized that college was a luxury where I came from and less of a normality like it was too many of my peers.

My experiences at college has definitely been a process of getting to know myself. Through being a part of different organizations, clubs, and changing interests. I got involved within my major and I was the DJ for our schools’ radio station. Soon after I realized how much my presence was needed for other students of color. I joined the rugby team for a semester and the first thing I looked for was people that looked like me. This was not something that fit me in the best ways because of the connections I was not able to make off the field. Through conversations and classroom presence I noticed how important representation and my presence for other people like me was. Even back home, this sets a path for my cousins and my younger brother because they see someone they can emulate. Understanding and setting an example to continue on this path with school would give them motivation to do the same.
While at school I was able to build some incredible relationships with my peers. I was able to create better and stronger relationships with other students of color. This is not because I could not get along with the many white students on campus but it was because we were able to connect on a deeper level. We struggled the same, the things that affected me affected them. After the 2016 elections there was an eerie feeling on campus and it was one moments that I felt like I was on the bottom of the food chain. That same day, I felt united with others who were like me  because they were dealing with the same heartache, anger, and frustration that I was. College allowed me to become more aware. Getting to know myself in more ways than one has been a journey of understanding how important it is for me to be here on campus. The importance of the impact that my color makes and lastly being proud of my culture.

My Black is Beautiful

Name: Tamika 

Being Black was always something my family made sure I was proud of. From home lessons during Black History month, to morning mantras in front of a mirror, I understand that my Blackness was a gift. I never questioned who I was until I moved out of Philly and lived on Long Island during high school. There, I recall hearing the word minority for the first time and I had no clue why folks would ascribe to that word. My mom said we were to be proud of who we are. Growing up in the projects with my mom barely making enough money, we were still prideful. Living on Long Island made me question my identity for the first time in my life; I was too friendly with the white kids, and sometimes not enough for the black kids. I didn’t understand it and I was confused. Since it was harder to have my black friends question me, I would hang out with them more sparingly. To me, I wasn’t conforming to the norms, I was just a Philly girl not wanting to be told who I should and shouldn’t be around. Aside from that, I was a 10th grader taking 9th grade math! Now mind you, my grades were ok in Philly, however I ended up being so far behind that it showed. All of the teachers worked overtime to make sure I passed the regents (NY state test) each year. This is when I learned of educational inequalities and the gaps that force folks who are poorer into long-term unjust situations. For a period of time, I became a product of them. It was a nightmare, one semester I was taking multiple gym classes because I needed those credits, the next it was science. I left Philly never knowing the ramifications of their inadequate public school system. These students on LI were way ahead of me, which was shown through the achievement gap. Countless times I felt like I wasn’t good enough. How could I be? By 11th grade I was still playing catch up and my mind was all over the place. And just when I thought I was getting the hang of things, I ended up moving back to Philly during the last semester of my 12th grade year! Guess who was then ahead of her class in terms of credits (not grades) credits! I took more hours at my job, and I was only in school for a few hours a day. I spent a month working on my senior project that other students had worked on all year. My only hangup was having to make up volunteer hours needed for my senior project. Alas, it was June and I had decided last minute to attend the community college in my area. That lead to me living out the achievement gaps put in place for students from historically marginalized communities and it is my hope that I am able to shed light on this. As of now, I’ve earned my B.A and M.Ed, and I am the proud founder of Embracing You, LLC. I truly believe in the power of my melanin, and yours too. You are deserving, capable, and you are enough!