My African-American Experience
I am an African-American female, I mostly identify with liberals and tend to usually have an open mind about a lot of things. I always try to remind myself that there are always two sides to every story, and always try to genuinely listen to both sides before making judgement. There is only one instance where I can recall having a “single story” view on a topic which is how I used to view Black Americans.
Growing up I have always referred to myself as an African American. This is because both of my parents were born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. I was born in Bronx, New York making me both an African and an American. Growing up my siblings and I were told not to “act black”. I listened to my Ghanaian music and very rarely listened to …show more content…
If I started to act out or talk back at home my father would discipline me for “acting black”. I made it a conscious effort at an early age to speak properly, to dress conservatively, not to talk loudly or make a big scene, and keeping all my sassy comments to myself.
It wasn’t until my family moved down to North Carolina did I experience being discriminated against because of my skin color. I was shocked! I had been teased for being African before, but I had never been bullied for being black. Something in my brain clicked, no matter how “African” my name was, how many Ghanaian songs I knew, or that I was almost completely fluent in my native tongue when people saw me they saw a Black girl. As a young girl this was a very hard reality for me to accept. Instantly all the negative stereotypes that I associated with Black Americans came to mind. Was this how people saw me?
As I did more research into my newfound identity I realized that being Black was nothing to be ashamed of. I could finally take off all the restrictions that I put on myself. It opened new doors of possibilities, I had not realized that trying not to be “black” was a huge weight on my shoulders. I could be myself at last without wondering if I was acting to “black” or not being “African”
Growing up I have always referred to myself as an African American. This is because both of my parents were born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. I was born in Bronx, New York making me both an African and an American. Growing up my siblings and I were told not to “act black”. I listened to my Ghanaian music and very rarely listened to …show more content…
If I started to act out or talk back at home my father would discipline me for “acting black”. I made it a conscious effort at an early age to speak properly, to dress conservatively, not to talk loudly or make a big scene, and keeping all my sassy comments to myself.
It wasn’t until my family moved down to North Carolina did I experience being discriminated against because of my skin color. I was shocked! I had been teased for being African before, but I had never been bullied for being black. Something in my brain clicked, no matter how “African” my name was, how many Ghanaian songs I knew, or that I was almost completely fluent in my native tongue when people saw me they saw a Black girl. As a young girl this was a very hard reality for me to accept. Instantly all the negative stereotypes that I associated with Black Americans came to mind. Was this how people saw me?
As I did more research into my newfound identity I realized that being Black was nothing to be ashamed of. I could finally take off all the restrictions that I put on myself. It opened new doors of possibilities, I had not realized that trying not to be “black” was a huge weight on my shoulders. I could be myself at last without wondering if I was acting to “black” or not being “African”