I vividly recall the first time my mother took me to get my hair straightened. I clenched her hand as we walked into the salon. Beautiful women lined every station, all managing to stay intertwined in every conversation. It was rapid; it was raw, it made me smile. Sitting at the epicenter of black womanhood changed me, as the stylist mixed an elixir that, in my mind, would make me fair skinned, with lighter eyes. Transforming a little girl into something other than herself. Growing up, I went to that salon monthly for my hair. Because I attended a predominantly white school, my mother knew the importance of perception. Consequently, my mother's overbearing influence over the way I was perceived began to tear at my self-esteem, and I slowly became a whitewashed version of …show more content…
However, with the help of the ACLU, I found it liberating to be celebrated for my differences. There was never a moment when I felt that I didn’t belong, or that I had to humanize myself in the eyes of my white peers. As a participant of the racial justice group, I’ve used the tools taught by speakers to create positive change in my community. Since returning home, I’ve founded a ‘Self Care: In The Face Of Oppression’ workshop for women of color at my local YWCA. Additionally, after hearing Jeff Robinson give his transformative speech on education, and injustices within the black community, I’ve harnessed the knowledge he presented to quell racism within my school, help facilitate a reading program for students of color, and I’ve given various speeches on my experience as a black women and how I combat negative stereotypes perpetuated against communities of color. Because of the Institute, I've realized how empowering it is to be black, even in the midst of an administration who silences activists and marginalized communities.