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Finding Coverage at Rutgars University Essay

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Growing up in the rural town of Browns Mills, being a Black girl was like a dime a dozen; it held no signifying factors for me. Whether you were White, Black, Spanish, or any other group, the people I grew up with accepted everyone despite it. Such acceptance while enjoyable, did not fortify me for the later struggles I would confront after leaving the socially idyllic neighborhood. Since my town was accepting of everyone there was never a need to learn about or claim aspects of my diversity. My biggest personal claim to diversity in my childhood was the being great (many times over) granddaughter of to a Seminole Chief. Even this story, passed down through my family, was hard to prove. I had a disinterest in carrying over my families…show more content…
As a result, college became the first place I began to question “Who am I?” and “What am I?”. My self-identity was in great question; outside of “Black” I lacked further explanation. I was confronted by individuals who boasted cultural and national identifies that held both ancestral and historical significance to them. At the time I could say I had none of this. I was introduced to the cultural lines from around the world but also within my own race. They defined themselves outside of just being Black, claiming titles such as African-American, Bajan, Liberian, and Nigerian. This gave me a new definition and confusion on what titles I should use to define my cultural status. I began seeing my cultural background as a minority within a minority because of the lack of representation of Black-Americans in higher education. As a result of this racial similarity yet cultural diversity, that began to become blatantly obvious, I chose to learn about my history and begin to answer the questions Rutgers University created. I took classes in histories from all areas of the African Diaspora, the political implications of being a minority, and ultimately majored in Africana Studies, History, and Political Science. It was through this pursuit for my roots I found pride in my own unique Blackness.
Diversity means different things to different people, especially in this country. Before, I categorized myself based solely on my
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