Being Black in America

  As much as I want to comment on the Ferguson shooting, I feel as if this is still a fresh wound for the family of Michael Brown and those who are involved. So for the sake of respect, I am going to hold my opinion and release a post specifically about it at a later time.
  What I do want to talk about is a little bit about what it is to be black in America.
  So the first thing I want to say is that I identify as Nigerian, not African American. However, this is the kind of response I often times receive when I try to tell people this:
  -Person: So since you're Black, do you...(insert any African-American stereotype here)?
  -Me: Well, actually, I've never done that before, because I'm actually Nigerian.
  -Person: ...that's what I said.
  The point I want to present here is that in America, ethnicity doesn't matter (and I want to make a brief note that ethnicity and race are two distinctly different groupings). As far as Americans are concerned, all of us are to be identified solely by the color of our skin, or the way we look. You are either White, Black, or Asian. There's nothing else to it.
  So although I do not like this system, I am aware of it and do acknowledge that that is just how the society is.
  I also am aware of and acknowledge the racism and prejudice that people who are categorized as 'Black' receive. I know that we are all placed into one category, and most of the time people apply negative stereotypes to people who look like me. So even though I might be from Nigeria, and the girl in front of me might be from Trinidad (which both of these nations have distinctly different traditions and cultures from that of African Americans), when we both walk into the same building, all someone is going to see is our skin color, and automatically see us in the same light that they see the women who cause commotion on Jerry Springer.
  All of this being considered, I know that I am already held at a disadvantage, solely because of my skin color. This being said, I know that I have to go above and beyond to not only keep myself as far away as possible from the center of their radar and from the stereotypes that they have drilled in their minds about females that look like me, but also to shove them that what they make think about people who look like me is not applicable to all of us.
  That is the sincere way of saying it. Here is me being a little more blunt:
  "Racism is real in America, and as awful as it is, I have to be careful because even though they don't know me, I am already considered loud, rude, unruly and barbaric, and other Americans, especially those of the 'White' race, will not stop at any means if they see me to pose a greater threat to them than I already do because of my skin color."
  Here's my thing: this information that I have just stated isn't exclusive. I'm not at such a high level of thinking that what I've just said is something that I came to after deep contemplation. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL KNOW, AND IF WE DON'T WE SHOULD. Let's not be so politically-correct that we won't acknowledge the state of race relations that exist in our society.
  My point is that being a black male or female in America means that YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL. Yes, it is an unfortunate thing that we have to tiptoe around like this, despite being citizens of the United States of America, but it is simply also the truth.
  My advice: If you're a black male or female, don't get caught by the police with drugs. Don't be seen doing any suspicious things, don't be an instigator for any problems, and for heaven sakes, DON'T DRAW ANY NEGATIVE ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. Of course, we are all human, we all do bad things, and we all slip up sometimes. But my point of saying this is because if you get in trouble, whether with another civilian or with the law enforcement, YOU WILL BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, BECAUSE OF YOUR SKIN COLOR.
  It's not your fault. You just need to understand race relations, acknowledge where people of our skin color stand on the totem pole, and do everything in your control to not give anyone any more of a reason to suspect/accuse you of anything, or do any harm to you.
  Thanks for reading. Look forward to more posts by this title; I feel as if this is a good, relevant topic, and one that needs to be discussed across all races and generations.
 

How Do I Invest In My Future?

  I know it has been some time since I last posted anything. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you guys! It's just that this entire summer has been very busy for me, and now that it is nearing the time for me to start school, I am busy trying to prepare for this new experience.
  I am indeed working on some REALLY good stuff for you guys, but I figured that I should post something in the meantime.
  So I wanted to let you all see a short essay that I wrote some time back for a scholarship.
  I am a strong believer in self-reflection. One form of this comes in going back and looking at things that you have done in the pasts that you produced physically, like essays or artworks or class projects. This, like all other forms of self-reflection, gives you an idea of how much you have changed over periods of time.
  So I wanted to provide you with a piece of work from my past. It had the title "How Do I Invest In My Future?".
  Hope you enjoy!

***

“Cash, or credit?”

            Now-a-days, this seems to be the only way people feel as if they can invest in their future, or even in themselves. The modern society promotes dollar signs as the only way that one can be successful in this world, and that the extent of one’s success is dependent on the number of trailing zeros before the decimal on their bank statement. Because of this, people too often fall for the scam, and end up short-changing themselves, with their future as their present and their present having a balance of $0.00.

            But I…I feel differently. I feel as if money is not the golden currency to use to make the best investment in my future. Instead, I choose to take the route that allows me to slowly invest in my future, one deposit at a time, in the commodity of knowledge.

            Growing up, I never really had a significant household income, and my mother made no effort to hide our financial struggles from my siblings and me. Thus, from a young age, I never considered money to be a feasible option as far as something to put towards my future was concerned. It was around this same time when I became fascinated with healthcare systems, and declared my goal to become a doctor. I would spent my free time watching shows based on doctors and Googling every medical term that came across the lips of each character. I often times was even subject to punishment when my mother would catch me watching the more inappropriate scenes in such shows. But as I got older and my awareness for what it takes to earn the title as a medical practitioner increased, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to medical school by memorizing the name of different procedures and diseases; I had to put my energy towards excelling in my academics.

            From then on, I was completely informed on what it was I had to do. I became known by my peers as the “bookworm”—always reading or studying or asking questions—doing whatever I could to gain more knowledge. Even my elementary school teachers would be shocked when I would pull out encyclopedias when it came to “free time”. As I continued to grow and age, I ensured that I would study and do all I could to maintain the grades that I expected a doctor to have: all A’s. Even until today, I push myself to produce the best work possible, so that I not only in return get high marks, but also so that I get the most out of my education.

            Of course, though, knowledge is not only gained in the classroom. I learned this through engaging myself in extracurricular activities, such as soccer, basketball, Quiz Bowl, Speech & Debate, and Science Olympiad. I also got a job working at Subway, and would volunteer in the local community through my school and other organizations. These activities were able to provide me with experiences and skills that would have been impossible to learn by just sitting in the classroom, and provided me with more knowledge that I felt have helped me on my journey to become a doctor.

            Now, of course, my journey is nowhere near done. The path I am taking is still very long, and teeming with obstacles, challenges, and even a few failures. But I feel that on this path, I will be able to collect the maximum amount of knowledge, which, in my world, makes me the richest of them all.