When I was in college, a friend and I were the co-organizers for a celebration to welcome our new college President. Me, my friend and the incoming President were White, and most of the coordinating committee were also White. The prior President was Black, and there was disappointment among some students that the new President was also not Black and hadn’t been overly supportive of racial and equity issues.. I thought I was relatively close to friends in the Black Student Union (BSU), as I had marched with them against Apartheid and other issues. But, on the day of the celebration, at the beginning of the event, about 20 BSU members entered the room with picket signs and loudly noted their disappointment with the new President. I was shocked and appalled, and felt betrayed by my “friends.” Years later, i came to understand that I had the advantage to host this celebration, and did not consider the needs of Black and other students. This event gave the BSU a space to have themselves heard, and they made the news the next day- not the positive story I had anticipated.
HV When did this story occur?: over 20 years ago
Stolen Dreams and Opportunities
When I was in college I wanted to study abroad. I completed my application and submitted all of the necessary papers. However, my advisor did not support my interest and he actually did not provide any information for me to review. My advisor told me that was not a good fit for me and that it was too much for me to handle with my course work. I had to do my own research for opportunities such as exchange student and scholarships. I did not know the process or where to begin, it was really discouraging at 18 years old. My roommate had the same advisor and not only did he encourage her, she was provided informational packets and then shared her excitement with me. Well, guess who announced that she was selected to study abroad the following semester with all expenses paid. My college roommate! The information that she received was not available for everyone and it was totally unfair. Inequity on so many levels. I had a higher GPA than she did, I expressed my interest and she did not but, was chosen! Information was not shared with everyone and the selection was bias! Application process was never shared!
Changed Systems
I came from very humble beginnings growing up in the hard of Boynton Beach. I experienced all the risk factors many young black men in similar communities face each day (Single parent household, juvenile delinquency, teen parent). The odds were stacked against me and I was able to maneuver through the systems and barriers and graduate high school and college. In spite of my success, graduating college and becoming a success story for the Department of Juvenile Justice, I was unable to gain employment with the agency because of my juvenile record. There were inequities in their systems which prevented individuals like myself from being a part of the agency. They have made changes and modifications to their process to allow individuals with backgrounds the opportunity to work for the agency considering they are of good moral character.