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How many people here actually know any African-Americans? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

117 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Not like "I went to school with one" but have had an actual friendship?

I've had a couple of conversations recently where people have confidently said things about the Black community that are ridiculously incorrect. The kind of shit where you can tell they grew up in a very white community and learned about Black history as a college freshman.

Disclaimer: I am white, but I grew up in a Black neighborhood. I was one of 3 white kids in my elementary school lol, including my brother.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I did go to school with one but he was a decent friend and we carried on in classes together. He came from Ghana, and I can't remember the specifics of his moving (it's been over 15 years) but he was originally born in Ghana. He was pretty smart, but I think he struggled a bit with "integrating" to the high school, as he'd let himself be the butt of jokes at times. He'd tell stories about growing up in Ghana and exaggerate or make up details that would carry on into ongoing phrases we'd repeat like inside jokes. Particularly, he said he would ride a bull to school, which turned into a sing-song phrase "ridin' bulls". He was a good time.

The state isn't exactly known for its spectacular past (we were a Union state though), and I think there was some fear with other students. He was in the International Baccalaureate program with me, so he was sorta insulated from the classic "dumb" racists, but you still have to traverse the hallways and life exists outside of school. Didn't keep up after graduation though.