“It was a rough time for me. I’d been planning on going to law...

“It was a rough time for me. I’d been planning on going to law school, but I wasn’t accepted anywhere I applied. I think I needed some kind of lifeboat, so I ended up filling out an application for Peace Corps. They offered me a teaching position in a small Ukrainian mining town. It felt like a huge chance to start over. During my first day on the job, I became an instant celebrity. Not only was I American, I was black. All the kids were staring with their mouths open. One seventh grader ran up to me and gave me a Star Wars pencil. His name was Pasha, and we immediately became friends. He followed me everywhere. He showed an amazing amount of empathy for a thirteen year old. He’d stay after class and ask me questions. Not only about school, but also about how I was doing. Being a black male in Ukraine could be difficult. People would stare, or laugh, or point. During my training some kids followed me on bikes, screaming the ‘N’ word. But I’m a tough New Yorker, so I could handle it. But whenever I tried to discuss it with the administration, it seemed like people were doubting my experience. And that weighed heaviest on me. It felt like I had nowhere to turn. But occasionally I’d share my experiences on Instagram Stories, and Pasha would stay after class to ask me about them. There was one time I was approached by two men on the street. They were hurling racial slurs at me. They followed me all the way home. I was so shaken that I was ready to quit. I even emailed Peace Corps. But the next day we were having our weekly English Club meeting, and Pasha asked me to tell the story. When I was finished, my coworker asked: ‘What should we do with racists?’ And I’ll never forget Pasha’s response. He said: ‘execute them.’ I couldn’t stop laughing. I’d never encourage violence, but it was such a relief to hear. All I’d ever gotten from the adults was: ‘I’m sorry.’ And ‘we hear you.’ This child had given me a stronger show of support than any of them. It gave me the strength to stay for the entire 21 months. Now I look back on the experience with love. Some difficult things happened. But what I remember most are the people who listened, and who spoke up for me.”