What Is It Like Growing Up as an African American in America

In times of intensified bigotry led by populism playing the dissatisfied crowds emotionally, it is important to stand still for a second, or many more, and consider what are we actually being (spoon)fed by the media and the often authoritarian populists.

Have you ever considered how the experience of those put in the spotlight and targeted increasingly, was in the first place? How would you have felt as an alien in another country?

Check out @trendytraveler's account What Is It Like Growing Up in America as an African American.

I am going to give you the run down of what it is really like from what I like to call a local view. A view you can only get from living it.

The intro matters. This is a first person view, not something based on FUD. This is a personal experience, which is why we should listen, humans we are. Listen to our peers. Because, no matter what skin color or origin we have ourselves, our shit we dump at the end of the digestion process stinks. Boiling we all do with water.

Growing up in America as an African American is like.....being afraid of police even though they are supposed to protect you.

The police, your preferred bigoted friend.

Growing up in America as an African American is like......listening to people call your people dramatic because we are fighting for equality.

Diversity. Equality.

Photo by Dimitar Belchev on Unsplash

I often wonder how the white supremacists would feel if they were put in a similar situation. Myself, being a white alien in South East Asia, I can say that despite there being a disgusting bonus to having a caucasian skin color, no day do I walk anywhere without feeling eyes target me. A perk of living ultra local style, rather than in one of the expensive First World imitation high rise areas.

I'm one of them, yet I never 100% feel one of them. There is always a focus. As an alien, cops spot me anywhere. Cops, which obviously I tend to avoid because my being born in a different continent didn't make me an ATM who will pay his way out of everything. Corruption is prevalent and aliens are an easy target. The Internet is littered with poor experiences, experiences which luckily so far I haven't suffered.

Growing up in America as an African American is like.....keeping your hair straight all the time because your natural hair makes you feel embarrassed.

Obviously, being at least half a foot taller on average than local peers, doesn't help me not stand out. My tan is almost as dark yet, despite feeling comfortable and enjoying living here, without any riches people often by default think I have because of my skin color, never don't I have eyes on my back, both sides and obviously also in front of me. I don't live in fear, yet I'm not 100% at ease either. Eyes always find that white guy, no matter where I go.

Head over to discover how @trendytraveler's experiences What Is It Like Growing Up in America as an African American.

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