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My name is Angel Wilson. I was a psychology major at Oklahoma
State University. I am the oldest of three, and the only girl in my
family (I have two brothers).
I can recall being extremely excited about attending college
in Stillwater. I had been here for many programs and functions, so I
had no qualms about my decision. Of course, it helped that a few
people who graduated from the same high school as I did were already
there. To make it even better, two of my best friends were going to
be my roommates! Living on a floor where there were only five Black
females was definitely not something that I had expected. Sure, I
had attended school with Whites my entire life, but I never had to
go home with them. To top it all off, since my friends and I were
sharing a suite we needed four people. I ended up with a White
roommate. Thus began my career at OSU.
Being on a predominantly White campus has its difficulties at
times. Since Black barely make up 2.5% of the student population,
it's not uncommon for me to go an entire day without seeing someone
who looks like me. It also is not unusual for me to be the only
Black person in a class. This really bothered me my freshman year.
How could a university be so far behind in terms of diversity? Now
that I'm into my fourth year, I realize that if is not solely the
fault of the school.
I hate to admit it, but any one that happens to be a
minority is viewed under a microscope, especially on our campus.
People look to you to represent in all areas, more importantly they
seem to enjoy it when you do. For instance, if a topic about
stereotypes comes up in class, you'll have every student's
attention. They are just so interested in what you have to say.
These are the same people that you have to answer with a
disclaimer. Mine goes like this: "Although I am Black, in no way do
I represent all emotions, feelings, and opinions shared by the other
men and women of my race. The words, statements, and/or gibberish
that you are about to hear is a direct reflection of Angel Wilson."
I resent the fact that this statement is even necessary. What I
resent even more is the actual number of times I've had to preface
an answer with it.
Don't get me wrong though. There are plenty advantages to my
being here. A friend of mine that attends an HBCU (Historically
Black College or University) sometimes comes down and remarks that
we (Blacks) are "missing the boat" by not attending an all Black
school. In actuality it is she that is missing the boat. Going here
prepares me for my future. Where else would I learn to work with
people of all different cultures? Where would I learn how important
it is to have a "good friend" who is White? I sometimes think about
whether I'm missing out, but I know that I'm not. Whites run this
world. The sooner everyone realizes this, we'll be able to plan our
takeover (just kidding). If I don't go to school with them, how am I
going to work with them when it's time for me to begin my career?
Yes, attending an HBCU is beneficial culturally, but in the long run
is it truly realistic?
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