Worlds Away: Feeling Isolated as a Black Girl in America
A short interview with a young black woman on some of her experiences growing up in America. She discusses concepts like lack of black representation, feeling pressured to look like white kids, and learning how to interact with cops.
As someone who always has much to say, is a huge activist, and will fight for what I believe in wholeheartedly, the Black Lives Matter Movement has been unbelievably inspiring and eye-opening. I support this cause with every ounce of my being, but as a white person, I will never be able to embody the strength of this movement with my own words. I truly believe that now is the time to uplift the voices of people of color so that they may be heard and change can be made.
I reached out to my best friend, Marci. She takes on each day with more courage than I will ever have in my lifetime. Living as a young black girl in America, there are things she has and will endure that I will never even have to think about. There are things she has to say that matter more than anything right now.
I hope this interview can shed some light.
Tell me about growing up, anything that you feel like sharing.
[Marci:] Growing up I never really realized that I was different from the other kids or even the grown ups that were around me. It wasn’t until around fifth grade that I realized I had a different skin color than everyone else. For me, I also grew up going to mostly white schools, so the feeling of loneliness has always stuck with me.
According to the United States Census Bureau, it is estimated that 13.4% of the American population is black. This means, like Marci, many black students attend schools with little to no other kids who look like them.
How was your education different from the white kids around you, despite sitting in the same classroom as them? Why do you think this issue exists?
[Marci:] I never had anyone in books or even those little shows you watch in school to help you learn, like the Magic Schools Bus, who looked like me. The characters in them were all white. Even though I was in the same classroom learning the same things it felt like I was always worlds away from them.
The lack of African American representation within the school community can be harmful to young students. If all the videos they watch and pictures they look at are full of white kids, how can they feel accepted? In an article for Teach For America, Darius Sawyers, a principal of a 5-8 school, stated, “a lack of diversity creates an educational system that’s increasingly separate and unequal.” Additionally, if black students are only exposed to white people who are successful, how are their future aspirations affected? Skin color should not determine the success of an individual and students of color should not feel discouraged to follow their dreams.
As a future teacher, how will you impact the lives of the black kids in your classroom? Did teachers do the same for you, or do you wish they did?
[Marci:] For me, becoming a teacher is a way for me to make sure that other young black women and men have someone in their school who mirrors them. I want the kids to know that they have someone who will understand them, because we, as black people, go through things no one else will. I never really had a teacher that did that for me. The teachers that I have had have been amazing but I have never had a teacher that I have been able to really look at and feel like I can go and talk to about these things.
For years, Marci has talked about wanting to become a teacher. It is no secret to those who know her that she is kind, compassionate, and loves kids. Her desire to change the world flourishes with the idea of teaching children. After all, they are the future.
Having black teachers in the education system is important for everyone, but especially young African American students. The representation is encouraging, and like Marci said, she will be able to understand the kids at a greater level than a white teacher would be able to. Because a teacher’s role is so vital to both the upbringing and the future of a child, having someone who they can relate to will make a huge difference within their educational career.
According to The Hechinger Report, “When it comes to teachers’ roles in shaping anti-racist communities, it’s better to show than to tell. Meaning, society is better off when students see diversity in the ranks of teachers rather than when they hear lessons about the importance of inclusion from a monolithic group of educators.”
Have you ever felt like you needed to act differently in front of white kids? Why?
[Marci:] I have always acted differently around white kids. I never wanted to be called “ghetto” because of the way I talk or the way my hair is. Growing up being one of the only black kids in my school, I never wanted to stand out. I wanted to fit in, so I started to straighten my hair so I looked more like the white kids around me.
Once again, this takes us to the importance of representation. When African American students are only exposed to white culture, peers, and teachers, their ideas of success and beauty can be impacted by this. The societal beauty standard is already harmful, and does not favor people of color. The majority of idolized models are tall, thin, caucasian women. The media has painted this version of the white woman to be the highest standard of beauty, which has proven detrimental to many young girl’s self-images, especially young African American girls.
In the 1960s and 70s there was a movement known as the Black is Beautiful movement, which came hand-in-hand with the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. According to NPR, “Organizers of the movement started to embrace the political power behind the idea that all aspects of blackness were beautiful.”
The idea that in order to be beautiful, one must be white, is both untrue and utterly disgusting. The media and the reaffirmation of this belief by big-time modeling agencies and publishing companies are what solidify such a dangerous idea in society.
Black women are powerful. Black women are beautiful. It’s about damn time society sees that.
What have your parents taught you about being black in America?
[Marci:] My parents have told me that there are going to be times where people look at me a certain way because I am black. They have also talked to me about how to interact with a police officer. They have told me that there will be those boys who want to see what it is like to be with a black girl, and things like that. But most importantly they have taught me to be proud of my blackness and to not be ashamed of it.
It is true that many black parents must teach their kids how to interact with police officers. This is not a conversation, as a white kid, that I have ever needed to have with my parents.
Despite being just 13.4% of the entire population, black people make up 20% of all police killings, according to mappingpoliceviolence.org. Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police than white people, despite being 1.3x more likely to be unarmed compared to white people. The numbers show a racist system, and the lack of justice allows it to continue. According to mappingpoliceviolence.org, “99% of killings by police from 2013-2019 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime.”
Thoughts on the protests happening nationwide right now?
[Marci:] I love the protests that are going on right now. It makes me angry that it took this many murders for people outside of the black community to really care about us and bring justice to those who have done wrong.
Anything else you feel like sharing about you, your family, the Black Lives Matter movement, etc.?
[Marci:] I think the Black Lives Matter movement is so powerful and that the black community is long overdue for the feeling of acceptance. One thing I have learned is that if someone says they “don’t see color”, it means that they don’t really see me.
My words will never have the same gravity as people of color in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement. Now is the time for white people to stand aside and uplift the voices who truly need to be heard right now.
Black lives matter today, tomorrow, and always.