Being Black…
For an African American citizen, day to day life isn’t as comforting as it would be if they were white. A number of people have had unique experiences, some good and some bad, just living their life as a black individual.
Millicent, Herman, Kelsie, and Ashley have all had their own stories about what it’s like for them. I asked these questions to get a feel for how they were brought up and see the different responses based on their age.
Herman and Millicent are a married couple with two children. They were born in the late 60’s and have lived in Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. They moved from Florida to Georgia for work and did the same for when they moved to Louisiana. Here they decided to settle and live with their family.
Kelsie is a 26 year old woman born in Atlanta and lived there for six years until moving to Louisiana with her family. She is a graduate from Southeastern with a major in business and a minor in marketing.
Ashley is a 21-year-old nursing student from Slidell attending Southeastern. She plans on graduating and returning to get her masters in nursing practice.
The first question asked was, Millicent discussed what it is like to be a black person in today’s society. She said, “ For me as a black mom, it’s scary as hell! I worry about my children daily in today’s society as young adults. When we were growing up as teenagers in the 80’s and 90’s, racism was there, but not to the extent it is now.”
Millicent said she worries for her children based on her experiences growing up. She gave her views based on being a mother but her husband gave his based on being a black male and a father. Herman had to say, “For me it’s scary being in today’s society, more so for my children. I’m worried about my son being pulled over by the police. My daughter, it’s even scarier, because not only are they killing us, but they are also trafficking girls.”
Herman and Millicent had similar experiences and are close in age. The younger generation has a bit of a different view. The next question was, “Have you ever had any issues related to your race?”
Kelsie answered and she said, “One issue I can remember is being refused an interview because I was black. The interview was set up and the date and time were what was given. I arrived and waited while she finished another interview and then was told that there had been a mixup, they weren’t doing interviews today. She said I would be called to reschedule and of course never got a call.
Everyone agreed, however, that they do not feel insecure about their race and are proud to be black. Kelsie even exclaimed that she felt that being black was “a plus for her.”
Ashley said, “I never felt ashamed but I have felt insecure growing up. There were kids that were always teasing me growing up and since I played a lot of sports I was very dark and that especially made them want to pick on me.
