Reply to Advice - Fitting in With Other Black Kids

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My dad is African and my mom is Black American.  Even though my dad emigrated to the U.S. from a country that had been colonized by the British, he still did not really grasp the animosity that Black Americans had toward white people. I believe that is because despite what was happening in his home country, Black people were still the majority and they were in the process of fighting to win back their country.  My mom, however, carried all of the struggles, awareness and sadness that come along with the racial history in this country. Growing up, my dad, who had attended PWIs for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, strongly encouraged us to also attend PWIs because it was more reflective of the real world, while my mom doggedly encouraged us to attend HBCUs, as she had done.  Interestingly, my dad did not have a great experience with other Black Americans when he was in college and grad school. He said culturally, they were worlds apart and as hard as he tried to befriend and date Black Americans, he was often rejected, belittled or taken advantage of.  And this was during the heyday of the 70's when Black Americans were especially trying to connect with their African heritage.  He stated that the white students were more welcoming and would invite him home for holidays and weekends, etc. Nonetheless, he fell in love with and married a Black American woman so he clearly had not given up in that aspect.

Growing up in these two different cultures was really interesting. I have to say though that largely, as a family, we adopted/incorporated more of my dad's culture than my mom's. Also, we were teased relentlessly by Black American kids initially but ultimately, they became my closest friends once we broke down some barriers and misunderstandings. [/quote]
You still seem to misunderstand.[/quote]

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