On Being Black in America: A First-Generation Perspective
I do not like the term "African-American." Or at least, I do not like it when it is used to refer to my demographic or ethnic background. Yes, I am African. My parents are Nigerians, and I am the first in my family to be born in America. But the term African-American comes with a lot of historical and cultural connotations that I do not share or carry as part of my identity, and it feels wrong to claim something that I am not. Let me backtrack... On Thursday, I was volunteering at a conference when my friend Latasha Morrison asked me to be a part of a racial reconciliation panel. I felt woefully unprepared and under-qualified, but I sent a quick prayer up that whatever I said would be meaningful and chose to just speak from the heart. For the most part there were a lot of high-level questions I wasn't sure I could speak to. How can we (read: white people) invest time and resources into low-income and minority neighborhoods without causing gentrification? Should...