Operating in Your Niche – Autoethnography

So two days ago I went with my aunt to one of her Ph.D. courses. At first, I thought I would just do some blogging, social media scrolling, and texting – but as I sat there I remember to be present in the moment I was existing. I started to listen to the students and connect to their identities. I even learned some new terms like Autoethnography and CRT “critical race theory” defined through the class discussions. My aunt handed me an article in which she was co-published on and I skimmed. But through the experience today I felt proud to call her my aunt, friend, and mentor.

As a black woman, it is so annoying to always hear that phrase, “black women” – sometimes I sit and wonder how life would be if I was neither of those things. Through my college experience attending a historically black college has established the ideals of what an elite African community looks like. Attending one of the black ivy leagues changes how I see myself operating in this world. Since freshmen year I have learned to love all the struggles of my ancestors – no longer considering myself better than the next because of my education, status, amount of wealth or larger vocabulary learned through this collegiate experience. I emphasize how I appreciate these sacrifices. Every risk and choice-making my life more comfortable than my parents. However, highlighting these identities allows me and those to follow articulate our experience through academia and the real world.

Consequently, knowing that I am more than my reproductive functions and the color of my skin is warming. Having others acknowledge the amount of intelligence I have before stereotyping me into some Jezebel, wife, or handmaid. Instead, I am comfortable entering spaces and being the walking testimony of an intelligent, independent, professional, black self. That amount of confidence fights all adversity. Ultimately, conquering Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and operating at my maximum capacity.