Like most children, I reveled in the days that found my classrooms in the dark to illuminate images on TV. On those days, I’d get lost in the action projected on the screen and forget that I was different. When the lights were turned off and the blinds closed, we were all the same—no shades of black, brown, or white skin to separate us.
In my young mind, I could just fade into the shadowed room and be like everyone else—or at least invisible—for a few hours. I could recast myself and no longer be the Black girl—the one of these who didn’t belong. I was just another kid, and I felt safe.
Growing up, these thoughts followed me as I aged. Just blend in. Don’t ...