As I walk through campus,
surrounded by people who look
nothing like me, I can’t help
but feel like I don’t belong.
I try not to compare myself
to anyone but it seems like
everyone around me has their
lives figured out, their friend
groups established and their
futures secured. And though
these feelings may not mirror
the truth, they still linger in
my mind.
In
order
to
escape
the
confinements of my thoughts,
I plug in my headphones and
launch the Apple Music app.
Once I hit play, and turn the
sound on, the negative thoughts
turn off and my worries begin
to dissipate.
The hums of Kid Cudi soothe
my mind like honey to a sore
throat and his intergalactic
beats teleport me to another
dimension.
The guitars of Santana place
me on a tropical beach with a
beaming sun that defrosts my
pina colada to perfection.
The vocals of Eartha Kitt
drive me to a black and white
French film from the 1950s
where everything happens in
fast-motion and there is no
dialogue.
The ethereal instrumentals
of Jhene Aiko elevate me to
the clouds while her lyricism
brings me back down to earth
and humble me.
The familiarity of Nancy
Ajram’s voice takes me back
to Sunday nights at my Tata’s
house
watching
Arabic
television, drinking shai and
eating so much baklava that my
teeth hurt.
My freshman year of college
has me feeling lost, but music
helps navigate my journey.
Music has the power to teleport
me anywhere I can imagine,
and though the song will soon
end and I will be awakened
to my reality, it’s still nice to
escape from the struggle every
now and then.
Although
the
dean
only
allows the domestic students to
swap sections,
That’s not discrimination.
That’s just a policy.
Although
a
professor’s
favorites all happen to be white
and she only lets them speak,
She’s not racist. That’s just a
coincidence.
Although your class points
at a random Asian figure in a
drawing and asks
“Is that you?”
They’re not racist. They’re
just dumb.
Although someone who sits
next to you looks down and
throws handouts,
She’s not racist. She’s just
rude to everyone.
Although a shopper cringes
and
complains
about
you
speaking Korean in public,
She’s not racist. She’s just
distracted.
Although a police officer
enters your room and speaks to
you in condescending language,
She’s not racist. That’s just
her job.
That’s just your paranoia.
That’s how it works. That’s how
they are.
When
something
offends
you, it’s just a coincidence.
Once you point it out, you are
the racist.
So please, remain silent. It’s
just you.
Not home for the holidays
Shoes and Ink
Tunes that teleport
Paranoia
It’s that time of year again: the
period after Halloween and the
beginning of November where
individuals start playing holiday
music
like
Mariah
Carey’s
“All I Want for Christmas is
You,”
completely
surpassing
Thanksgiving.
And
although
Thanksgiving is not something
that everyone celebrates due to
the literal unacknowledgement
of a Native American genocide
carried out by English settlers,
it is a time where some students
gear up to go home and spend
time with their loved ones.
Anticipating the home cooked
meals is one of the best parts
of the days leading up to
Thanksgiving break; students
book their plane or bus tickets
months in advance to make sure
that they are able to be home
and get that much needed break.
Unfortunately, some tend to
forget that not everyone is able
to go back to a family home and
thus have to spend the holidays
alone.
Some do not want to go
home to their families because
the holidays may bring up bad
memories, or they are not on
good terms with their families.
Surely we have seen the tweets
where
common
scenarios
play out during this time of
year: There is an uncle that
sits at the dinner table during
Thanksgiving, says something
homophobic and you have to
sit there in silence to protect
yourself because it can be
dangerous to speak up. These
scenarios
actually
happen,
making some not want to go see
their families over the holidays
because they feel that their life
could be in jeopardy if they do
so because of the identities they
hold. Normalizing the choice to
not go home to avoid situations
such as the one mentioned will
make the Holidays much more
enjoyable for everyone; still
post pictures of your delicious
plates on social media, but keep
in mind that not everyone has
this
privilege.
Furthermore,
financial
constraints
can
prevent students from traveling
to see their loved ones.
It is okay to not want to go
home for the holidays. It is not
strange, but instead it is a choice
one has to make when thinking
about their security and mental
health because the holidays are
not enjoyable for everyone. Here
are some things to remember
when deciding if being home
during this season is the best
option for you:
It is your choice whether or
not to spend the holidays with
your family.
If you are able to choose an
alternative place to spend time
with your family, do so: Family
situations can be complicated,
and thus planning out different
places to congregate can relieve
some stress.
Be honest with your family
about your presence during this
time. If they are unable to accept
that you are on the fence about
coming home, consider the kind
of relationship you would want
to have with them in the future.
Don’t feel guilty for feeling
the way you feel. It is valid, it is
normal and if family members
respond with disappointment
about
your
absence,
your
decision is still valid.
Make the decision, and be
confident in it. Know that you
did the right thing.
Start
your
own
holiday
tradition! Make it what you want
it to be to make the holidays
more enjoyable.
These pieces are from my
“Stationery
At
the
Moulin
Rouge” series. I created them in
a study of Henri de Toulouse-
Lautrec, a French artist from
the 1890’s who immortalized
his favorite hangout, the Moulin
Rouge,
in
his
lithographic
advertisements. I decided to
create my own ads advertising
my school supplies from my
school days in India— supplies
that were, and still are, very
beloved to me—using similar
imagery and colors to his work.
Creating these ads was a way for
me to pay tribute to the objects
that helped foster my passion
for drawing in the first place—
the numerous ink and pencil
doodles that filled my school
notebooks made my art what it
is today.
MICHAELA MINNIS
MiC Blogger
DEEYA CHATURVEDI
MiC Blogger
SUNGMIN CHO
MiC Columnist
NOOR MOUGHNI
MiC Columnist
A break from reality
Somedays
Being Black in America
feels like a never-ending
game of musical chairs
The DJ’s favorite song is
“meritocracy”
You only see yourself and
other Black people dancing
Like
modern-day
minstrels around
Chairs like
Graduate programs
White-collar jobs
A living wage
Chairs that were never
made for you
Chairs that were made to
keep you dancing
Somedays
Being Black in America
feels like a rigged game of
monopoly
You and your brother and
your cousin and your best
friend
Keep landing on the space
marked “Go to Jail”
Keep
drawing
cards
marked “Go to Jail”
Keep
seeing
whole
neighborhoods marked “Go
to Jail”
And sometimes, even that
is a privilege because,
Somedays
Being Black in America
feels like a bad game of
charades
You comply
You put your hands up
You sit in your house
They guess “threat”
They guess “violent”
They guess “weapon”
Somedays
Being Black in America
feels like chess, not checkers
Grandma
tells
your
brother “never fuck a white
woman”
Momma cuts off your
sister’s dreads so she can
“look professional enough to
get a job”
And you are tired of
navigating a PWI
Tired of knowing that
everything you say and do is
seen as a representation of
all Black people
You are tired of the DJ
playing “meritocracy”
You are tired of monopoly
boards filled with “Go to
Jail” spaces
You are tired of the police
guessing incorrectly
You are tired of playing
chess with white people
But most of all
Yo are tired of being
played
Playing
games
AYOMIDE OKUNADE
MiC Columnist
Photo courtesy of BBC Radio 4
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Monday, November 18, 2019 — 3A