https://padlet.com/ashadee/qmdb72b3pkay7jgq Made with good vibes en-us 2022-04-22 05:58:54 UTC 2022-04-22 07:02:51 UTC hello@padlet.com ashadee https://padlet.com/ashadee/qmdb72b3pkay7jgq/wish/2153220112 I am a beautiful, strong African American young lady in the beginning stages of becoming the woman I aspire to be. 

Who do i pretend to be?

I find it difficult, or uncomfortable I’d rather say, to express my feelings. So more often than not i find myself pretending to be cool with or to not care about things that have hurt or bothered me.

Who do people think I am?

People who do not know me personally may easily get the idea that I am someone that has everything well put together or someone that has things handed to me on a silver platter left and right.

Who do I wish i could be?

I would love to be more of a social butterfly and less of the shy introvert I am. I also desire to be more open without feeling vulnerable.

How has race or ethnicity played a role here?

It plays a good part here in one small reason why i feel i’m so shy in public. The last thing I want is to be an example of how other races portray african american females. So i keep to myself until I am surrounded by the ones that know me best.
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First Experience With Race Activity

Luckily I haven’t been in too many situations where my race was the reason behind it however I do remember a small setting when i was working at one of my first jobs which was in fast food. It may have been a joke in the moment and I’ll admit i laughed it off. I had gone into work with a particular hairstyle where I had used braiding hair to create a gorgeous ponytail braid that continued past my waist. When I walked into the kitchen one of my managers said and I quote “Whew who’s hair is that?” I had simply responded with a surprised face but like i mentioned before i laughed it off, for this manager was known for his somewhat crude sense of humor. 

I was 18 years old i beleive

At the time well after the workday ended I still continue to think about this joke. I just had a feeling that if my skin was just a little lighter this manager wouldn’t have been able to execute  that joke because females with lighter toned skin are often associated with having naturally long hair. 

I haven’t really talked about this experience since then only because there are a lot more significant things that happen to people like me and like I mentioned twice before at the time I did indeed just laugh it off. ]]> 2022-04-22 07:02:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ashadee/qmdb72b3pkay7jgq/wish/2153220112