Black at VT
It has been awhile since I have written. At first I was so addictive to blogging but as I became more and more nervous about my writing style and being more politically conscious, I have definitely fallen back. Why? I don't know. I go through phases where I try to be one thing and then I move on to another.
Earlier this year, I tried to write for the CT. Hence my latest blogpost. That didn't fly over and it was mostly due to a miscommunication by the staff. Oh well, I can find other places to get my writing out. Why this concern with publishing? Well, this is my last year of graduate school and for now I am trying to get a job at a PR agency. Which agency you ask? I'm not sure. They all look the same as far as I can see. Really, I want an organization that is ok with the fact that I do not know fully what I want to do. I like PR because it provides me with the variety I need and communication is a strength of mine. Either PR or teaching.
I've been doing quite a bit of soul searching because I don't just want a job I want a career. I want a place that will support my growth and really develop my talent. We'll see. I think I keep avoiding taking the time out to sit down and evaluate what I want.
So switching topics, this evening BGSO had a discussion entitled Black@VT.edu. Over 30 graduate students gathered together to discuss common issues that black students encounter as they pursue professional degrees. For a second I was writing like I would for a PR release but I'm gonna stop that. We were given 5 questions to answer such as describe a common stereotype of the opposite gender, list some myths you heard about PWI or HBCU's, describe an experience in Blacksburg that you feel wouldn't have happened to you if you were black. So after that we had to partner up and act out what was on the card.
Let me just list somethings we saw. Now many of these are stereotypes. We one group act out an incident at a bar in which a drunk white guys is explaining himself to a black girl after being caught saying the word nigger. (I must say I have experienced this on several occasions when I go downtown) We saw a pair depict the horrible administration that HBCU's have. In another skit, a girl is surprised that her friend, who went to an HBCU, is as intelligent as he is. I performed a skit in which the only reason I wanted to go to a PWI is because I preferred white women. The list goes on!!
To be honest, I was a little nervous about this discussion because I feel like I come from a unique situation. I grew up in Stafford, VA and VA Beach, both places with a pretty diverse populations. I have not had anything happen that I believe was directly related to my race. My father has been pulled over once while I was with him. I've had a girl call my friend a nigger then run out the room as the rest of us ran after her. I'm not bragging in no way but it is weird for me to talk about race. I recognize these incidents happen and they have happened to many of my friends but all I can do is sympathize and want to do more to help. To my white brothers and sisters, being a black man, there is something that happens to me when others like me are hurting and are disrespected on racial grounds.
But I have been blessed to be in a supportive environment. At least that is what I have perceived it to be. Don't get me wrong, when I worked in Roanoke I was at a top company in the city but yet one of few black people on the full-time side. The youngest in my department and the blackest. In business situations like that, I learn to put on a face. A face not fully me but not totally false. My voice changes and I'm more conscious of the things I say and how I say it. Do ya feel me. All of this to say, that I've learned to frame myself for white America. Sorry, but it's something that happens and it is almost a must. I do what I have to do to get to better things and I learn to work the system so the system works for me. Man this is heavy and I haven't even gotten through half.
Earlier this year, I tried to write for the CT. Hence my latest blogpost. That didn't fly over and it was mostly due to a miscommunication by the staff. Oh well, I can find other places to get my writing out. Why this concern with publishing? Well, this is my last year of graduate school and for now I am trying to get a job at a PR agency. Which agency you ask? I'm not sure. They all look the same as far as I can see. Really, I want an organization that is ok with the fact that I do not know fully what I want to do. I like PR because it provides me with the variety I need and communication is a strength of mine. Either PR or teaching.
I've been doing quite a bit of soul searching because I don't just want a job I want a career. I want a place that will support my growth and really develop my talent. We'll see. I think I keep avoiding taking the time out to sit down and evaluate what I want.
So switching topics, this evening BGSO had a discussion entitled Black@VT.edu. Over 30 graduate students gathered together to discuss common issues that black students encounter as they pursue professional degrees. For a second I was writing like I would for a PR release but I'm gonna stop that. We were given 5 questions to answer such as describe a common stereotype of the opposite gender, list some myths you heard about PWI or HBCU's, describe an experience in Blacksburg that you feel wouldn't have happened to you if you were black. So after that we had to partner up and act out what was on the card.
Let me just list somethings we saw. Now many of these are stereotypes. We one group act out an incident at a bar in which a drunk white guys is explaining himself to a black girl after being caught saying the word nigger. (I must say I have experienced this on several occasions when I go downtown) We saw a pair depict the horrible administration that HBCU's have. In another skit, a girl is surprised that her friend, who went to an HBCU, is as intelligent as he is. I performed a skit in which the only reason I wanted to go to a PWI is because I preferred white women. The list goes on!!
To be honest, I was a little nervous about this discussion because I feel like I come from a unique situation. I grew up in Stafford, VA and VA Beach, both places with a pretty diverse populations. I have not had anything happen that I believe was directly related to my race. My father has been pulled over once while I was with him. I've had a girl call my friend a nigger then run out the room as the rest of us ran after her. I'm not bragging in no way but it is weird for me to talk about race. I recognize these incidents happen and they have happened to many of my friends but all I can do is sympathize and want to do more to help. To my white brothers and sisters, being a black man, there is something that happens to me when others like me are hurting and are disrespected on racial grounds.
But I have been blessed to be in a supportive environment. At least that is what I have perceived it to be. Don't get me wrong, when I worked in Roanoke I was at a top company in the city but yet one of few black people on the full-time side. The youngest in my department and the blackest. In business situations like that, I learn to put on a face. A face not fully me but not totally false. My voice changes and I'm more conscious of the things I say and how I say it. Do ya feel me. All of this to say, that I've learned to frame myself for white America. Sorry, but it's something that happens and it is almost a must. I do what I have to do to get to better things and I learn to work the system so the system works for me. Man this is heavy and I haven't even gotten through half.
Comments