I share this story to remind us that there will always be people in our lives who refuse to see our stories, struggles, or situations. Some people thrive when they have a misguided sense of power. They use that power to make others feel inferior, incapable, and insufficient. But when I think back to my conversations with Grandad riding in his trusty Toyota Avalon, I try my best to remember: “An ignorant person will make you hurt yourself.”

I hope you see me. I hope you see our struggle. In all this, remember that you have the ability to turn this all off when you walk outside. Before they see anything about you: whether you have a disability, you have a criminal record, you own a Fortune 500 company, or you attend church every week, etc. They’ll see your skin first. They won’t see you as they see me. Because, I’m Black.

Okay fine, I’ll admit it. I didn’t know who Celia Cruz was until I started dating my Afro-Latina girlfriend 4 years ago. I mean...I knew Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Shakira, and I knew Selena! (I mean we could count Selena Gomez, too, pero…) When I used to think of a Latina, these were the men and women I was used to picturing. I remember being slightly dumbfounded that my Panamanian friend in middle school (who was just a tiny bit more light-skinned than me) spoke fluent Spanish with all of our Mexican classmates. But...how could one be Hispanic/Latina(o) and...dare I say it… be BLACK!?

Black History Month gives us a chance to celebrate our ancestors and family members who have paved the way for us to follow our dreams, passions, and goals. “Black Excellence” is about Black people realizing that they were made for more than just average. Black people, unfortunately had to spend hundreds of years being your average, faceless, nameless slave, incapable of changing the world. Black History Month reminds us of the resilience of people who led the largest American revolution we’d seen since the Revolutionary War--the Civil Rights Movement. Black History Month is a chance to celebrate Kobe Bryant, Ava DuVernary, Nipsey Hussle, Beyonce, and so many more. It’s a chance to celebrate my grandmother, your cousin, her brother, his auntie. It’s all around us.

Earlier this week, I was profiled by police in central Florida. I was asked if I had something illegal in my car, which I obviously answered no. If you’ve never known what it means to be racially profiled and live a bit in fear by the ones who are sworn to protect you, allow me to let you into that perspective.

The answer to my question: Am I “TOO BLACK” to attend my institution? If you equate being “too Black” to the same as too “progressive, idealistic, liberal, angry, or an emotional social justice warrior,” you might be right...or you might be dead wrong. I just think it’s time to move to towards the future, and I never want to leave our institution feeling like I didn’t give it my all or I never talked about the things so many of us have been feeling.

Yes, Dr. King lived a life of service. He lived a life of service to his community, but that service was in uprooting the inherently racist and social norms in a society that promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people. When Americans remember Dr. King, it should not be mistaken and equated solely with the idea of picking up trash, singing to people, or building new structures for those in need. Understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with those things, but declaring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as “National Community Service Day” for years to come may miss the entire point of what King lived and died for.

Greatness: unusually or comparatively large in size; unusual or considerable in degree, power, or intensity; first-rate; exceptionally outstanding.

I’ve always had an obsession with people who choose to beat the odds and be great, no matter the circumstance, and no matter what is thrown at them. I could name professors, teachers, my mom, Lecrae, Martin Luther King, Jr., President Barack Obama, or even Michael Jackson, to name a few. One of my biggest inspirations has done it for his entire life: LeBron James.