Are You Boxing Yourself In?

I graduated from a predominantly white university, but many of my fellow black classmates and I often joked about having a very “black” college experience.

Many of us were exclusively involved in black student organizations and black Greek life; lived in the “black” residence halls; took lots of the African American Studies and African Studies classes; wrote for and read “black” campus publications; spent lots of time at the Black Cultural Center or on “the Yard”; studied abroad in Africa; and so on and so on. A big joke was that so many black students attended summer school in comparison to white students that the university became an HBCU in the summer.

The feeling of attending a university within a university was somewhat comical – and honestly, comforting at times, but it was sometimes much more damaging for many black students. The truth is that – like in the real world – my university’s various black communities didn’t always have access to information that would help students maximize their college experiences. Countless students missed out on scholarships, lectures, research opportunities, fellowships, internships, study abroad experiences and numerous other privileges because their peer groups and involvements lacked diversity. And after graduation, they suffered, compared to those who were “in the know” because their resumes weren’t as competitive, thus further contributing to the gap between the haves and the have nots.

This is often a problem in the professional world also – particularly in metropolitan areas where it’s possible to work without coming in contact with people of an opposite race or other groups. We’ve discussed the benefits of getting involved with other black professionals in “Get Connected,” but don’t let your interactions be so monotonous that you bind yourself from getting where you could professionally. Volunteer for committees that will expose you to new networking opportunities, join multiple professional organizations or go to lunch with someone else. You never know who may be the messenger to provide you with the knowledge you need to get where you’re trying to go.