In the spirit of my Forty-Faux birthday and trying to summon some type of positivity and hope under the circumstances, what with #Covid19, and slowly aging out of the job market, and the race wars that are long overdue (our brothers and sisters on the front lines fighting for equality for us all) I have decided not to complain about anything today.
If you know me, you'll know that is no small feat.
Instead, I'll share one of my favorite quotes by a Nigerian diaspora writer I admire who has spoken words that describe me as an individual, and most importantly, as an educated black woman. We go from hearing "You have no US experience" to hearing (in your own country) "You have no Nigerian experience." And it makes you assume that your vast experience, your international hustle, your having to rise above the "yes we have universities with actual books in Nigeria", all that subliminal racism thrown at you, all that doesn't matter.
I once heard someone say: People are afraid of what they don't understand. That is true, for the ongoing race wars and for some of us fighting to make a way, a career, in our own country. We need to do better since we know better. But we're so full of ourselves and our so-called accomplishments to even care.
Sometimes in our quest to achieve that professional summit we sometimes loose ourselves and our identity and what matters most. These words remind me that it is going to be alright.
One day, they'll understand. And. Accept.
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