[lovelyivy84]

Originally Posted by nikki1920

This is something I see daily in my line of work. When I tell my young moms that:
1. I went to college
2. had a baby my junior year
3. went BACK to college AND worked AND am a single parent

they look at me like I grew two heads. I have a child to take care of, DAMN what anyone else says. If being edcuated (i.e, having a degree) makes me "white", then so be it. *shrug*

I refuse to let some small minded individuals, be they black or white, tell me that I am somehow "selling out" because I have a college education. I look in the mirror everyday and see my beautiful brown skin so how am I denying or ignoring my blackness? My parents sacrificed (out of state tuition, anyone?), my grandparents sacrificed so that I could go to college. Why would I let them down? Why would I let myself down by not getting an education?

Again, GTFOOHWTBS.

*claps*

I went through this as a teen- people who just couldn't understand my goals and thought it meant I was trying to be white. I was just trying to be employed and not-broke at a later date, lol.

It seems like most succesful African-American (I specify because most of the first-generation West Indian kids I know have NOT gone through this nearly as much, since for most of us we were born in this country with the expectation that we were here to do well and get an education) folks my age have gone through/are STILL going through this kind of thing.

I am so confused as to how it got to this point- it was only 50 years ago that black people had to FIGHT to get any education, FIGHT to be able to vote, and now it seems like the culture is shunning the people who are still fighting to attain those things.