Personal Narrative: African Booty

African booty-scratcher is what they used to call me, and awkward laughter was always the response. Growing up, I learned to hate my heritage and skin color. I was never exposed to African girls or black people in general being praised by the media. I used to deny my culture and assert that “I wasn’t like other black people.”
Even though I moved to America at a young age, I was raised with traditional Rwandan values so I had trouble making friends. It wasn’t until my mother began working at the Americana Community Center that I learned to embrace being different and it quickly became my safe haven. I met kids from all over the world and discovered the beauty of my blackness and Rwandan roots. I discovered my worth.
The ACC, located in south