All Boys Aren't Blue

by George M. Johnson

Double-Dutching was my little way of getting that out of my system, when I felt I couldn’t be “sassy” in front of friends or family. That half hour every day became my solace, and those ropes became more than just a game. It was me jumping in between personas: the person I wanted to be on the inside versus the person society told me I had to be on the outside. My pride grew with each mistake, each welt from the rope hitting my legs. They were battle scars for the hard effort I was putting in daily to perfect my jump roping abilities.