Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Blackness to me is faith
having faith in what don't see
because we, as a people, often don't see
validation, we don't see
uplifting in the context of mainstream America or even in situations like Harvard
so for me it's having faith that
I am significant, I am valid,
I am valuable, even though
everything else is telling me that I'm not.
For me being black means to be interwoven with an immense,
difficult, and beautiful history. It means to wake up every day
in this brown skin, and walk out the door knowing that I am fearfully and
knowing that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
I really think that black people are absolutely stunning
for a world reasons.
At the beginning of the year introducing myself to people,
sometimes people take would take a step back and be like
"Wait what are you?" and I would say, "What do you mean what am I?"
and they would say "What's you race?"
"Well I'm half white." And they's be like "yeah okay, we can see that"
the red hair, the redhead freckles
and then say "I'm half black too"
and they'd say "What, you're black?"
and I'd say, "No, I'm half black, and I'm half white."
I'm the whole package
I'm not just one, and I'm not just the other, I'm both.
So I am Black-Japanese I'm blasian, but I am black.
because no one's ever gonna see me, look at me, and say oh look at that Asian girl, ya know?
Because especially with last year,
as soon as we show up on campus
the affirmative action article comes out. People are telling us:
"You don't belong here. You don't deserve to be here."
and at that point it wasn't like I could just go and hide in my Asian-ness
and hide in that side to me and pretend like I wasn't black, like that really
came to the forefront
and I realize the implications of what that means being here on this campus
and there's always that moment when you're the only black student
in your section
when you're in class and you're the only black kid, and the N word comes up
or something in a book, or something where there's slavery, or whatever it is
and the issue race comes up, or the issue of slavery, or the issue of whatever
everyone looks to you
as if you're about to speak for your race
as if you represent
everybody in the race and suddenly your voice will carry such weight
and it kinda frustrating because you would hope
that people would understand
that there are all different types of black people and black people don't all have
the same opinions about the same issues
or it's like will she get angry about it? How does she react?
should we be walking on eggshells about this topic? And it's like
no I'm just learning, like everybody else
and so I'm always tempted to hold back and not say anything
I'm because I don't want to feel like they're gonna take what I say
as representative everyone.
Pretty much as far back as I can remember,
I've always been pretty cognizant of race
and of the various nuances that are associated with it
but this past semester was ...
weird, and interesting, and uncomfortable
because it was the first time in a long time that I felt
the burden of being black in the classroom, and being black walking around
Harvard's campus
I don't know what it was about my freshman year where I didn't feel it as much
but this year walking around and walking into my classes I just felt like
the other. And I didn't really claim Harvard
I would say, "Well I go to Harvard but I'm not really... I'm not really of Harvard
I don't really feel like a typical Harvard student."
And it took a while, and it took a lot of the experiences to prove, and to illustrate
that I, too, am Harvard.
This campus is ours; we built this campus.
And this campus, Harvard wouldn't be here without us.
It was build on the backs of slaves, and black people are such an important part of Harvard
but our presence and us being is often really
discounted and devalued. So I think
it's really up to us to make it ours.
I do believe that this camp is mine, and I think that
I don't have to use merit, or accolades,
or socioeconomic status to defend my place here
To the doubters: everyone here is
incredibly brilliant everyone here worked incredibly hard.
We most definitely belong here and I personally believe that
if I didn't belong here
God would have seen it fit to place me elsewhere.
I, too, am Harvard.
I, too, am Harvard.
I, too, am Harvard.
I, too, am Harvard.
I, too, am innovative.
am beautiful, creative, fiery, passionate
excited, commanding, intelligent, philosophical, persistant, productive
I, too,
am Harvard