“It’s Dope to Be Black”

By JORDAN YEARWOOD

The book “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas is about the life of a black 16-year-old girl named Starr Carter who is drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of a childhood friend. This novel touches on where she is from, where she goes to school and how she lives her life. I see myself in Starr Carter because she and I have much in common. In the book, Starr feels she lives a double life. She lives in Garden Heights, a predominantly black and low-income neighborhood. It is the place she’s always called home, yet she attends Williamson Prep, a fancy, predominantly white private school.

Being the product of a single parent, Trinidadian-American home, I enjoyed the first 6 years of my life in an authentic Brooklyn tenement with my mother. Despite the aromatic notes of West-Indian herbs that filled the hallways and calypso music blaring from double-parked cars, it was one of the most dangerous blocks in Brooklyn. You name it, I experienced it: gunshots, the monotonous sound of sirens, and people fighting and arguing at any given time of day. That’s something Starr experiences most of her time in her neighborhood too. But because we were both undeterred by it all, we felt a safe sense of belonging and cultural immersion.

When I first moved to Long Island, my mom enrolled me in a private school similar to the one Starr attends. “Jordan, it’s going to be fine. I know it’s something totally new, but you will make friends and do well.” My mother’s words launched one of those moments when you wish you could see into the future to know exactly what lies ahead. This moment defined and shaped my life. Walking into my new school, my first thought was What in the world? I felt like a total outcast because I saw no one there like me. I was scared out of my mind, but my biggest fear was having negative stereotypes attached to me such as: All black females are angry and bitter.  All black people are ghetto.  All black people come from the hood. All black people are loud.

In the book, Starr states that when she is home in her neighborhood she is herself, but when she goes to school she becomes “Starr 2.0.” She makes sure no one can ever call her ghetto or label her with those ridiculous stereotypes.

The author writes, “Williamson Starr doesn’t use slang–if a rapper would say it, she doesn’t say it, even if her white friends do. Slang makes them cool. Slang makes her ‘hood’. Williamson Starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she’s the ‘angry black girl’. Williamson Starr is approachable. No stank-eyes, none of that. Williamson Starr is not confrontational. Basically, Williamson Starr doesn’t give anyone a reason to call her ghetto. I can’t stand myself for doing it, but I do it anyway.”

After 5 years in my private school, I transferred to Jericho High School, and again I was a black minority. My experiences at Jericho have been interesting because I’ve seen some of the kids try to seem cool around me by talking in slang or trying to be relatable. Like the book says, “It’s dope to be black until it’s hard to be black.”

Starr and I both felt inadequate, but we realized that our lack of material possessions and our culture uniqueness do not preclude us from being on par with our peers. Personally, I am now better equipped to address questions like: How come your hair is like that? Is your dad around? Is it true that black people don’t like to swim?

Instead of reacting, I am reminded of the lack of cultural awareness that is present today. But don’t get me wrong, if I really need to clap back, I will do so. Being able to see my experiences put into words was very encouraging. Even though Starr is only a character, she made me feel like I wasn’t really alone. I can say I appreciate coming from a hard neighborhood and going to predominantly white schools because I have a balance, which will definitely help me in the future as I deal with what comes from the real world.

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