Chapter 22: When I Woke Up to Being Black

The house that I grew up in was exactly four blocks away from two different elementary schools. If you went in one direction, the majority of the students in the school were Black and if you went in the other direction, the student population was predominantly White. My mother made the decision to place me in the school, PS 203, that happened to be majority White, for a host of reasons. Going to the White school was very different as most of my peers went to school in the other direction. While I was too young to note any distinct impact or difference, going to the White school proved to be of significance as I think about my schooling beyond Grades K–5.