<p>Are there any African American alumni/current students willing to share their experiences at top schools (especially the Ivies)?</p>
<p>If you do share, could you name the institution along with how strong you perceive the black community to be?</p>
<p>I would greatly appreciate it!
♥</p>
<p>Ooh I second this motion! Please share your stories.</p>
<p>I also want to know</p>
<p>same here…</p>
<p>My D visited the cultural house at Yale to ask question and it turned into an informal panel discussion with current students. </p>
<p>I say this to say that I think you may increase the odds of getting a response by reaching out directly.</p>
<p>I can’t visit schools at this time, though.
T_T Finances are funky. :</p>
<p>When I talk to people, many don’t see even when I say it directly that money is not the problem. That is the key to power and accomplishment. I’m in a little motivational speaker mode right now.</p>
<p>Money is a result or outcome of hardworking, persistence, faith, passion, vision, drive and communication. You need these things to do almost anything you want to do. Money is a lagging result that comes later. Never trust money, trust God, trust yourself but never in money to get you what you want.</p>
<p>Forgot to give my bottom line.</p>
<p>We are rarely limited in life by money or the lack thereof in America. We are limited by our dependence on it.</p>
<p>Creativity beats money hands down.</p>
<p>Ohhh, I see. </p>
<p>Thank you! :3</p>
<p>Bump, bump.</p>
<p>Hi there!</p>
<p>I’m ksarmand, and I’m currently a junior at Harvard. I wouldn’t mind answering the OP’s question, but as written, it’s pretty vague. Can someone clarify?</p>
<p>Hello! <em>^▁^</em></p>
<p>Do you feel your school is diverse? Is there any tension between blacks and the majority population at your school? What of the black community there? Is it strong?</p>
<p>You can also share your experience from…I guess a black perspective? </p>
<p>Thank you for your time. ∩__∩</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Reminds me of an event during my stay at a top university for classes this past summer. I remember some father approaching me with his family, asking for a “brother’s perspective” on the school. Had no idea what to say.</p>
<p>I think it’s a challenge just to be able to be yourself and a comfortable environment is one where you can let down your guard and not always feel like your playing defense.</p>
<p>I never personally had this issue but I understand the feeling. I was in a town (very wealthy and white) on business one time and wanted a haircut before a meeting. There were no black barbershops in the town. I drove to the next town-no barbers. So I tried the next town-no barbers. I tried a few white barbershops and they said they might not do a good job. I tried an upscale men’s salon and the woman said they don’t cut black hair. I went to my meeting with my nappy head.</p>
<p>I felt excluded and left out. It was like I was in a world where black people don’t exist and where there is nothing there for black people.</p>
<p>I think when someone wants a ‘brother’s perspective’, they want to know if you can be you and feel accepted and welcome and wanted. A woman may want to know if she can get her weave or her hair did. Lol.</p>
<p>I mean I guess my major question, especially for those who came from schools which have a larger AA population than the one they attend now, would be whether or not you’ve ever just felt out of place. While I don’t hang out with all african americans by any means I am weirdly worried about just not being accepted which I hope to find out is an irrational fear (for the most part)</p>
<p>EDIT: Wow it’s crazy how you answered/asked the same question I did at the same time.</p>
<p>And the thing in my story that’s remarkable is that I never sensed racism or thought that way. It was just that I was in a town on business that had nothing to offer beyond that. It was very transactional. I’ve never gone back there and it’s a well populated suburb of Philly. I felt more warmth and welcome when I lived in central Kentucky years ago which also surprised me.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Racially? Yes. Socioeconomically? Not really.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, I think that the usual insensitivities are magnified by the fact that most students at Harvard come from more affluent backgrounds and have had limited interactions with people of color in general. This leads to a lot of situations where people say flat-out racist and classist things and don’t understand why the offended party is upset. That can lead to hostilities on an individual level.</p>
<p>As far as things are concerned on a more macro scale, I think the answer is no. My campus is full of your typical northeast do-gooders, as well as individuals who are genuinely committed to social justice (though this is a far smaller number). I have not experienced any hostility or animosity, but I have borne plenty of ignorance.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Definitely. It can be vibrant, warm, and welcoming. Since it’s rather small, this also means that people know your business, but it’s definitely possible to lead a pretty private life. :)</p>
<p>One thing I do not appreciate in the community is a ‘put-up-or-shut-up’ attitude that some take towards solving our very real problems, which mirror those in the real world: homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, colorism, respectability politics, etc. There is definitely a forum to discuss these issues, and there is active work being done to counteract some of those negative attitudes.</p>
<p>I would also like to note that the black community is actually not majority African-American, something a lot of students don’t realize until they get to campus. We can discuss the reasons why this is (and it has been rehashed over and over on CC threads), but it does create a some tension for students from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds who work from their assumptions of each other and don’t make any effort to spark meaningful dialogue.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Cosign 100%.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I come from a school that was almost 40% Caribbean, and I am Caribbean myself. There were very few African-Americans in my school, actually. It was definitely awkward for me at times (people of all colors and backgrounds would say all kinds of horrible things about immigrants and expect me not to bat an eyelash and/or to laugh) but again, don’t be worry about not being ‘accepted’. There are too few of us here to play those kinds of exclusionary games.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your input!
I believe Henry Louis Gates Jr. delved into why there’s a lack of AAs at H and other top schools. Sad but completely understandable! </p>
<p>So is the ignorance you’ve faced…hipster racism?
Saw in my hs aaaallllllll the time. xD</p>
<p>Hipster racism is rampant. My friend actually just linked me to a couple of really talented slam poetry girls who did their piece on exactly that so that comment is so timely :)</p>
<p>Also thank you so much for the thorough answers, ksarmand! I know myself, as well as all of the forum ghosts reading this appreciate it</p>
<p>Did one have long dreads?! If so, I’ve seen that!
It was perfection.</p>