As a Black student, you notice how many students in your class look like you. In a lecture of 100 people, there could be three other Black students. Not seeing people who share the same identity as you in an academic setting can feel isolating. The learning can seem disconnected, so when it is time to partner up for group projects, you dread the experience because you have seen how the story plays out.

In my time in academia, I have had to prove to my groupmates that I can bring substance to our group. From the group’s inception, I have had to work ten times harder to be seen as an active participant. My hard work won’t be noticed as going above and beyond; it will only be noted as pulling my weight. In reality, if I were to put in the same amount of effort as my counterparts, I would be seen as lazy or, even worse, uneducated. When you refuse to let negative perceptions of your appearance dictate your actions, microaggressions escalate into macroaggressions.

The way I get spoken to when working with my white peers is how one talks to a child when giving them instructions. These people are the same age as me, yet they talk to me like they have some authority over me. Even though we are both students learning the same thing, their skin color makes them feel entitled to delegate tasks. What they are doing is very covert, but you hear their belittling tone as they speak. If I get the easy portion of the project, oh boy, that’s a problem! However, I will have frequent check-ins if I take on the more challenging tasks. Perhaps it’s just my personal preference, but I don’t enjoy being micromanaged. Please don’t plagiarize my ideas without adding any new value. You are deceiving yourself into thinking that it’s your own thought when, in reality, the intelligent Black child you underestimated finally said something you deem valuable.