Self-Assesment

Like many of my fellow Black Studies majors, I came to UCSB with no idea that, four years later, I would be (hopefully) graduating with a degree in Black Studies. My first two years in college I studied Mathematics, not because I particularly liked it, but because it was something that had come relatively easy to me in high school.

During the winter quarter of my sophomore year, I took Black Studies 1 in order to fulfill the ethnicity requirement required to graduate. I was immediately drawn to Professor Otis Madison's theatric style, but the central themes and arguments he presented would change my perspective on race and the nature of American society forever. Professor Madison's main argument was that race was a social construction, one that has been historically used as an institution to control the American working class by dividing them into distinct racial categories. Whites were led to believe that they were inherently superior over the African-American population, who were exploited for their free/cheap labor, denied basic human rights, and relegated to a status as second-class citizens based on the fact that they were apparently inferior to the white population. Professor Madison's class helped to put the nature of racism in American society in perspective for me, while sparking an interest to continue studying the struggles and triumphs of the African people.

By my junior year, I was regularly finding myself dozing off during my math classes, while being absolutely riveted by what I was learning in my Black Studies courses. By the end of the year, it was a relatively easy decision to switch my major. Mathematics simply wasn't for me. The rigid, formulaic structure of math simply didn't excite me, while learning about the rich cultural and social history of the African people truly did. Turning in my petition to officially change my major has been one of the most exciting days in college for me.

I continued taking classes with Professor Madison, whether it be on the nature of Black stereotypes in the American media, the racist eugenic movement in science, or the struggles of African-Americans in sports. Although I have spent most of my time in Professor Madison's courses, every single Black Studies course I have taken has been absolutely enthralling and taught by someone who truly cares about his or her student's educations. Whether it be Professor Johnson, Professor McAuley, or even the notoriously demanding Professor Banks, every class I have taken has opened my eyes on a different aspect of the world we live in, and left me with a feeling with a sense that, despite the atrocities that have committed against the African people throughout history, oppression can be defeated and justice can be served through education and collective action.

The one thing that hasn't changed is the fact that I want to be a teacher. Initially, I had wanted to teach high schoolers about algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. Important concepts, absolutely. But now, I instead want to educate on issues far more important than derivatives and tangent lines. I hope to pass on to my students that same eye-opening perspectives that the faculty of the Black Studies department has instilled in me. It is my ultimate goal to educate and inspire my students to take action against the social injustices that have been committed against people of color all over the world. Through such education, we can, with hard work, eliminate the injustice and oppression that I have spent my last few years studying.