Blackness doesn’t make you less, but it does frame your life. When you walk into a room, so does race. Frankly, it shows up before you do. It colors every conversation, shapes how you’re viewed, determines whether you’re even heard. From the day you get here, Blackness hangs over everything, from comments about your hair (“Can I touch it?”) to mentions that certain Black people are “smart” (’cause it’s assumed we’re idiots). The message comes through loud and clear: You’re not one of us, you’re less. Black lives matter. We hear that in the streets, but what is a Black life really worth?
...more
