AJC Sepia Focus: 'We are Black Mizzou'

My sister went to Central State University.

But I chose a predominately white institution -- to be exact, the University of Missouri.

If you don’t think you’ve heard of us let me tell you about a few of our newsworthy headlines.

In 2014, Michael Sam became the first openly gay football player in the nation, coming out after his senior season on the eve of the NFL draft.

But most recently, we became the home of Concerned Student 1950, the advocates for race inclusion on campus.

Being black on this campus took on a whole new meaning for me this year.

I had to stick up for my black peers in ways that I would have never thought. I became a voice and moderator in the classroom on conversations about the campus’ racial climate.

As a journalism student, the only way I could help was by being a voice and trying to help people understand what was really going on.

If you didn’t already guess, the conversations weren’t always there.

Conversations on race were actually non-existent -- unless someone was saying something ignorant.

When I first arrived on campus in 2013 the divide was surreal.

Maybe it was so noticeable because this school is five times as big as my high school or maybe it’s because there are just a lot more white people on campus than I would have thought.

Nonetheless, the divide was something you couldn’t ignore.

I met people in the dorm who said they had never gone to school with an African-American before.

That was a shock to me because I went to school with every nationality I can think of.

I never expected to feel uncomfortable at a frat house because it wasn’t the norm for a group of black girls to walk in.

It never crossed my mind that we would get turned away.

I never expected a friend to come back to the dorm crying because she was forced to leave a party she was already in.

I never expected for Kevin Hart quotes to be thrown my way just because I was black.

I never expected it, but it happened. I never cried or said anything back.

I just walked away with my head held high.

All I could do was talk to my friends or call my mom and move on.

That’s how I was able to ignore the ignorance.

And the more I talked it out the more I realized those people were honestly just ignorant.

They never knew any better and they were never taught any better.

I go to a PWI, where racial issues have always been a problem. Long before Mizzou was even an option of mine.

After I realized there were race problems I could have left, but I wanted to stay because I belong here.

Before other campuses stood behind Mizzou there was a lot of “hate” thrown our way because we chose to come to a PWI instead of a HBCU.

I saw a lot of the comments and ignored them. It was just more animosity on my timeline that wasn’t needed.

Although, I once wanted to attend an HBCU I would never trade going here for the world.

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a community where your peers stand up for themselves and for you? I am proud to go to this PWI and nothing anyone could have said would have changed my mind.

We’re all getting an education, we’re all doing amazing things and we’re all making our family proud.

I didn’t choose my school for the people. I’m not here for them.

I’m here for my education, the experiences I have, and the ones that still await me.

As black students at a predominately white institution our community is small and big at the same time.

We are Black Mizzou.

If there’s an event going on everyone knows about it and everyone will most likely be there, packed houses with no breathing room is a norm for us.

In the classroom a group of us sit together and we know who is absent or not. There’s a support system between us that can’t be touched.

Personally, I wouldn’t change any of this for the world.

As a small minority group on campus I still see black excellence everywhere I turn.