“Racism is the same, I’m just the one that’s changing. I don’t have it all figured out and never will, but I take solace in the fact that through all the bullying, hate crimes and microaggression, I have only furthered my race education and worked to uncover my identity. Not the identity that is portrayed in media, but what being black means to me. I’ve spent most of my life running away from my blackness, thinking that that was the answer to racism. But now I welcome my blackness and face racism, knowing that it won’t go away and it is something that requires patience and thick skin.”