Before coming to UBC, I went to a high school in Victoria with a Black population of about five people. This included my brother and I. Ever since moving to Canada, I have become used to being the only Black student in my classroom. It is never something that you can get used to. Every time I would walk into a classroom, a little part of me would always hope that a Black person would magically appear… but this has never happened. A Black teacher? That’s another story. I have never gotten used to the stares when the topic of Africa or Black Lives Matter is brought up. I am always the spokesperson for an entire community that consists of people from all over the world. I believe the effects of this can either make someone in my position incredibly vocal about injustices or force them to assimilate. In high school, I assimilated. I would awkwardly smile at the jokes and stay silent even when they were racist. In university, I have learned to stop people from continuing to believe in the indoctrinated idea that Black people are a monolith. I don’t speak for any other person other than myself and that is always going to be the truth of being Black in a classroom.
This piece is part of The Ubyssey and UBC Black Student Union's 2023 Black History Month supplement, titled B1%CK. Read the full supplement here, or pick up a print paper on UBC's Vancouver campus.