100 Women of Color Remember Their First Encounter With Racism—And How They Overcame It

“When I was in high school, there was a day that changed my life forever: September 30, 2003. It was homecoming spirit week and every day, you would dress up as something different. One of the days was called ‘Phat Tuesday.’ People came to school in gold chains, cornrows, gold grills, afros, jerseys, baggy pants—including teachers. At the time there were about five Black students; you can imagine our discomfort. I wrote a letter to the whole school and the dean read it at a school assembly. People came up to me afterwards, and they were just like, we’re so sorry, we didn’t know. That moment really changed me for many reasons. I didn’t even know that I had this voice in me, but that was the first instance where I was like, ‘Wow I have a voice that’s bigger than mine.’ It was about our collective humanity, and breaking down these ingrained stereotypes. And my voice is bigger than me.”

 

Read the full article at Oprah Daily.

"That moment really changed me for many reasons. I didn't even know that I had this voice in me, but that was the first instance where I was like, ‘Wow I have a voice that's bigger than mine.’ It was about our collective humanity, and breaking down these ingrained stereotypes. And my voice is bigger than me.”

Oprah Daily