<p>Haha yea, at the beginning of every year i walk into numerous classes and they feel the need to remind me that this is an AP class, not traditional, as if i was in the wrong class. In History class every time i elaborate on something people think i'm making it up because there is no way a black male could know anything about the Tennessee Valley Authority or William Jennings Bryan.</p>
<p>Dbate, that girl should see you for who you are and not your skin color. She’s dumb if she said no.</p>
<p>superwoman, I WISH I was thicker sometimes. A lot of white guys like thick black girls. I have a friend who is white, and he loves thick black girls. My boyfriend is white also and is the same way. I’m like a toothpick though, but it’s all good with him.</p>
<p>Dbate, lol it’s like back and forth, but yeah, when I first moved here, the white students didn’t take me seriously in the AEP honors program my middle school had. They made jokes and would talk about how I didn’t have a “Black name.” They’d ask if I liked watermelon and chicken and kool-aid. It was all fun and games with the new girl until they needed help in math. They were forced to ask me. Ever since then, they all looked at me in a new light. I wasn’t the butt of their jokes so much. It’s always a challenge when I have to prove myself, but I don’t care, I like a little challenge. Being the only black student in IB (along with two Africans) is tough b/c I’m the only female. It sucks b/c I NEVER had a partner in Spanish class, but the teacher was always sweet to me. I always worked better alone especially since half the class was taking Myspace pictures in the back of the room (seriously). The only time I was acknowledged was when we played games for prizes, and they wanted me to be the “star player.” It’s wrong, but it happens all the time.</p>
<p>BeautifulNerd219- Oo, i see…well the white guys at my school hate thick black girls. Sometimes I wish I was skinnier because I hate being thick…Im on a diet now, so eventually I’ll lose weight. Lol, but I wish I could get a white boyfriend lol, Im curious as to what that would be like…</p>
<p>ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DON’T! Do you know how bad it is to be a black girl without a butt lol? I love my size, but it’s kind of awkward when people start to ask weird questions like “Are you sure you’re black?” or “Are you mixed?”. I just wish I had a booty. You can so get a white boyfriend b/c my boyfriend’s from the south so I think that’s why. I liked the preppy white guys, but they like the mixed girls or the valley black girls but they always thought I was the stereotype until I opened my mouth. I just never dated them b/c Barbie always beats Theresa lol. The white guys in the south are really sweet and down-to-earth, and I never have to worry about being something stupid like “chocolate princess.”</p>
<p>BeautifulNerd219- Its okayy! But yea the whole booty part is horrible…especially when im walking down a street and randomn spanish guys shout all the nasty fantasies they would have with my butt…eww its gross…But I guess it would be awkward being skinnier lol…My haitian culture would make that impossible for me to keep of the weight neway lol</p>
<p>Superwoman- OMG try living in ARIZONA. It’s crazy. I had to stop riding the school bus to my stop b/c it’s the prostitute street and the guys (esp. the Mexican ones) would harrass me, and it just wasn’t safe. They were circling the street, and it’s a busy street so I was really scared. It’s cool you’re Haitian. I bet the food is really good. I’ve never had Haitian food.</p>
<p>A lot of the experience depends on where you grow up.</p>
<p>It isn’t that hard to grow up a minority(I speak primarily from a black perspective, as its the only one I’m qualified to talk about as a black male) when you’re in a more tolerant area. People will respect your intelligence as a black person. In other areas(and this has been my personal experience having lived in them), subtle racism will pervade just about every aspect of your life. People here won’t just respect you as an intelligent human being who just happens to be black. They’ll see you as an uppity negro who needs to be taken down a few notches. You will be graded differently and your peers will treat you differently as well. </p>
<p>Mind you, this only applies to blacks in these areas who “act white”(so called oreos). If you “act black” and don’t bother getting good grades, you’ll be extremely popular. Then you’re in your place, and its ok. Its when you don’t know your place that you get in trouble. Signs of not knowing your place? Applying and gaining acceptance to Ivy League schools, winning scholastic awards, getting high grades, speaking properly and occasionally outwitting you non-black peers, and refusing to be treated like a “token negro”. These people will see a white person with all of your academic credentials(plus your atheltic ability) and think nothing of it. A white kid with such credentials is not abnormal to them, and will therefore receive more respect. Try to pull that as a black kid and you’ll become a target. There is an intense pressure for blacks to be average in places like this, and failure to do so results in a degree of social isolation. It affects everything, from sports to dating(ESPECIALLY dating). </p>
<p>This is really just something all parents (current or future) of black children should take into account when it comes to their kids. Find an area that will allow your kids to spread their intellectual wings fully without social constrictions, places that will respect intelligent, driven blacks kids for who they are, places that will treat said kids as intelligent students rather than marking them as just intelligent BLACK students and treating them like circus freaks who need to be isolated. I fear that too many black children today get stuck in areas like mine where that pressure to be average is pervasive. That has to change.</p>
<p>I 10000% agree with^
i dont have any friends bc of it -.- my community is 80% white and im the only black person in honors/AP classes. it sucks to be a smart black until AA =D</p>
<p>I pretty much agree with JLaw45. It’s not cool for black students here to “act white”. That means not be obnoxious, get good grades, study, go to college, behave, show respect to others, etc…</p>
<p>^^^ I also agree with JLaw45. If you’re black and smart, you’re automatically an “Uncle Tom,” so for the most part at my school, black kids are just as bad as white kids with their constant judgement. BUT I must admit, some don’t act like the stereotype, and when they see someone doing well, they pretty much say “Rep for us” which is just more encouragement to do the work and pull those all-nighters.</p>
<p>I agree with JLaw45. So true.</p>
<p>I like being a minority. I am proud of my heritage. I sometime don’t enjoy being the only black femal in a lot of my AP classes, but I consider it an opportunity to educate some of my classmates who belive the sterotypes about blacks. If I can change one persons opinion about my race or force them to stop grouping everyone together then that’s great!</p>
<p>^ Very true. I like to break stereotypes. Not all black women wear multicolored weaves. Not all black women have bad attitudes. Not all black men go to jail. Not all black men go to college solely for sports. </p>
<p>The list could go on forever.</p>
<p>I don’t mind being black i certainly wouldn’t want to be white or asian. i think the only times i’m made to feel awkward about my race is when it comes to matters of beauty and the clash of true beauty vs the white ideal, but usually i don’t have problems with that much anymore. also the a.a debate is very depressing, but again it’s just the clash of cultures and ignorance. i also get a lot of ridicule from members of my own race, who seem to be more hostile toward themselves than whites. i live in kansas and it’s more tolerant than you would expect though there is undercover racism. i’ve never had some cross to the other side of the street when i walk by. i’ve never been followed in a store and my experiences with police have always been positive. i think that speaks more to progress than anything. much of the blantant descrimination is due to the fact that im poor not black.also i think i run into certain minorities who seem to have a problem with being black. i’ve heard people say they wish they where white and other crap like that. i also think the obsession with hair and and the desire to not be too black are signs of self lothing instilled by whitey, and the constant use of the term “ghetto” should not be tolerated. i also think it’s telling when people go out of their way to prove their not like “those other negros” but that’s another post.</p>
<p>I love being black. It’s funny how people automatically assume that b/c my hair is long, I’m mixed. It’s funny how people think that black people bleach their skin b/c we want to be white. I love how people are so d@mn ignorant about black culture that they pull random “facts” out their @ss. It’s just amusing to see the kids at school with SO much book sense not have common sense. I get annoyed with the constant stereotyping, but I love how God made me black and proud; I don’t wanna avoid or hide behind the stereotypes, I want to break them. I’ve never been harrassed by the police, but I know people who have been, I’ve even witnessed it. I have been followed in a store, but it’s a-okay b/c when I pay, it’s like their mouths drop. It’s all ignorance, but I wouldn’t give up being black for anything. I mean we are strong people, and I love our culture. I love family reunions, I love the music, I love being from Gary, Indiana. So no, I wouldn’t give up being black.</p>
<p>There are so many stereotypes about African-Americans its ridiculous and it doesn’t help when there are African-Americans that perpetuate those preconceived notions or when the media only focuses on the negatives. There are intelligent and articulate African-Americans and we are not hard to find, we’re just not on the news everyday and there are very few movies made about us, but were here. I love my culture and my ethnicity. I embrace it. I am more than a stereotype.</p>
<p>Have you ever noticed that for news stories they purposely find stereotypes of African-Americans and interview them? They never interview the people who actually know what they’re talking about.</p>
<p>Yes. I see it all the time. If a reporter has a choice between the intelligent person and the man with gold in his mouth the interview will most likely go to the person with gold in his mouth. It’s as if they choose the most unflattering representatives. This type of behavior simply sends the wrong message to young black children especially. If you’re smart you won’t be glorified, but if you’re stupid the world will love you. The media is a powerful tool and its influence can not be denied. Many young people are just doing “what they see on TV”. If we choose to glorify positive role models perhaps the stereotypes would change to become positive.</p>
<p>^^^ and this is why little boys want money, h0es, and clothes…
This sums it up lol (I love this episode)
[YouTube</a> - The<em>Boondocks</em>Season<em>1</em>-<em>Episode</em>2<em>[Part</em>1<em>2]</em>-<em>The</em>Trial<em>of</em>R._Kelly](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_JTtDJhWw]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_JTtDJhWw)
[Trial</a> of R.Kelly](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_JTtDJhWw]Trial”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_JTtDJhWw)</p>
<p>My friends call me ( get ready for it) the OREO!
I love this thread b/c it reflects so much of what I’ve experienced- so black people do face the same problems everywhere- i feel almost not lonely.
For ex. Beautiful Nerd, I have no butt. Awkward at church. And I am really short.
Also, like most of you I go to a majority white school.
I have dealt with some discroimination and I am the only black person in all my honors classes. Black people ( in my other schools) tended to avoid me , except a couple of friends, b/c I was too white for them.
Sometimes, I’d get angry for the 50th time when a black girl said something like, " I got a 79!" with pleasure or any sort of happiness.
I want to go to a good college- (am practically obsssesed with it).
Sometimes white people don’t know how to act around me- but after a five minute conversation-my inner filing( white,unfortunately) comes out and i set them at ease. I often feel like I am not black enough.</p>
<p>BUT- I Love to joke about being black-( it can be funny).
I’m glad it’s the same everywhere.</p>