Nia:
-Do you think there are qualifiers for being black or expectations of how black people should act?
Yes, to be black you have to be athletic, listen to certain kind of music, have to date black people, and have to speak a certain way.
-I call this policing. Have you ever felt policed in any way? If so, have you come to terms with that policing?
Yes, about the way she speaks and the music she listens to: One time I said devour and my cousin asked me why I’m so whitewashed. Felt like she needed to change to fit in. “Now I’ve accepted it and I’m not gonna change, I like to read and learn new words… I’m not gonna change that for someone else.”
-What do you love about yourself? Can be related to your black experience or general.
“I love my culture and the fact that it’s different and others love it and try to copy it but can never be it and I love that because it makes me unique.”
Darius:
-Do you think there are qualifiers for being black or expectations of how black people should act?
Most people expect black people to be darker: or darker relative to who you’re talking to and be of a certain class/ background: expected to go to public schools
-I call this policing. Have you ever felt policed in any way? If so, have you come to terms with that policing?
People have assumed that he wouldn’t know certain music or know black culture because he’s too light. He has felt like he has to watch what he says– he has a black father and black family members, but feels like that hasn’t been enough to validate his black experiences in some people’s eyes. He’s felt he has had to change to fit in with black people but with that he still didn’t feel like he belonged… people would still deny him his black identity. He has come to terms with it; it doesn’t bother him as much anymore. He’s more focused on being himself because he knows who and what he is. “I’ve been told countless times that I’m not black enough”
-What do you love about yourself? Can be related to your black experience or general.
He loves being multiracial– because he’s experienced two different cultures. He likes being a mixture of black and Canadian and he’s more accepting of other people’s cultures and in general because of it.
Gabi:
-Do you think there are qualifiers for being black or expectations of how black people should act?
Yes, limits to how we can act: talking too white or shouldn’t have good grammar and can’t have good grammar, “as if I’m not intelligent enough to speak properly.” Also expected to be poor.
-I call this policing. Have you ever felt policed in any way? If so, have you come to terms with that policing?
People have made comments about the way she talks. Once, her English teacher assumed she couldn’t afford a notebook because she was black in a primarily white school. The policing is not often enough to think about it everyday. The older she’s gotten the more prevalent it’s been but she’s been fortunate not to have to deal with it often. She’s never let it consume her because the policing hasn’t been prevalent in her life so she guesses she’s come to terms with it. She speaks out about it now, but it hasn’t happened at Emory so she hasn’t had to speak out about it.
-What do you love about yourself? Can be related to your black experience or general.
“I like my skin tone, it’s very pretty and I don’t really sunburn.” She is multiracial: Irish, Guyana-an, and a whole bunch of other stuff, not really sure. She has freckles and that’s not a traditionally black trait and that makes her unique. She’s creative, outspoken, fit, and loves that she learned to cook from black people: with seasoning.