North to Paradise

by Ousman Umar

That day I learned that we’re all afraid of the unknown.

Looking back on my childhood, I can see these lofty ideas about white people and Europe seem absurd because of course talent, intelligence, and

strength have no color. But these attitudes didn’t take shape overnight: they are the product of centuries of enslavement, exploitation, colonialism, and what ultimately amounts to a white-supremacist marketing campaign to convince Black people to undervalue their own worth.

Sometimes, the smallest detail in the present can determine your entire future.