This week, after reading about oppression and white privilege, I began to reflect on my disadvantages as a black woman. To be honest, there are times when I don’t even notice I’m black. I don’t really pay attention to it. I didn’t see anything wrong with it either. I’ve spent my entire life attempting to avoid black stereotypes, but it wasn’t until last August that I realized no matter how I speak or act, I’ll always be black. Those stereotypes will follow me wherever I go. Last year, I worked in a local shoe store, but after gruesome long hours that would eventually affect my school performance, I decided to quit after one day. I didn’t think much of it because I’d seen it done before. I’ve seen people quit after just one hour of work.  But I made it through the day and decided it wasn’t the best thing for me in the long run. The job was full-time, and I felt it would be too much for me to handle while also attending school full-time. My boss was not happy with my decision to leave, but I ignored her. I realized a few weeks later that I didn’t get paid for the 8 hours I worked. So my aunt and I went up to the store. We spoke with Ashley, one of the girls I worked with. She told us that we would have to wait until the boss returned from vacation before being paid. So we left, and I eventually returned to the store to buy shoes for my cousin. As soon as I walked in, I was met with a harsh attitude. While I was browsing, I overheard Ashley say to another girl, “That’s her,” and they both burst out laughing. She told the girl that my aunt and I had come up to the store looking for money because we didn’t have any. And began mocking me for quitting after only one day. She then began calling me names like “Shequanda.” That’s when I realized it wasn’t just any old bullying; it was outright racism. That was done on purpose because she knew my name and called it when I first showed up with my aunt. But since I was alone, she decided it was okay to call me out of my name. That was one of my first real racial encounters. It definitely helped me put things into perspective. I didn’t understand at the time because I was trying so hard to fit in. I was both articulate and quiet. I didn’t use AAVE. I never gave an attitude or anything because I know how many black women are stereotyped as having an attitude. I was fantastic, but not quite good enough for them. After that experience, I learned to stop censoring myself because people will always see me as black no matter what. So I’m no longer afraid of eating fried chicken or being too “loud.” For once, I’m just trying to live my life the way I want to live it.