I recently saw An Octoroon on a school trip. It is a play by Branden Jacobs Jenkins based on the original play The Octoroon written in 1859 by Dion Boucicault. After seeing the play I had a lot of feelings. Sometimes, after seeing things such as this particular play, I come out feeling bad about being black. That’s a very uncomfortable feeling.
In order to dissect these feelings I had to consult my dad, Mr. Dominic Fowler. Here’s what we came up with–before I am smart, funny, kind, optimistic, etc. Before I am Mia, I am black. Usually, you accumulate baggage as you move through life. Eventually, you may have a lot of baggage and that would be set on the table after someone has gotten to know you. That doesn’t happen when you are black. In this country you are born with history. This is not to say that the history is bad. Black history is art, beauty, love and resistance, more than it is hate or violence; but it’s a history that everyone has an opinion on.
As a black woman in today’s world I will have to prove myself in every room I walk into. That is exhausting just to think about. I love the skin I am in, so maybe bad wasn’t the right word. It’s just mentally taxing to always think about how you are being seen by others. I am either confirming or "rising above" stereotypes. If I make one mistake