Courtney , CMC '22 ( Cleveland, Ohio)
Q: What do consider to be your whole identity?
A: Uhmmm, I actually had a lot of issues with identity so I can’t completely answer that question. What I struggle with here is that a lot of my black friends here, they know where they’re from whether from Africa or the Caribbean and I’ve never had that. So like even if i do a dNa test, it just like a list of places I’ve never been or probably never go to so i struggle with that a little bit. Uhm... so just blackity black.
Q: How does cmc compare to your high school experience?
A: High school was definitely harder. 100%. And at a point I felt like I wasn’t doing enough work because I was comparing myself to other people which I have to stop doing. Because I’m doing fine. Junior and senior year were definitely harder than this first semester. [so then socially? how does it compare] I have *counts on fingers* like 300 % more black friends here compared to high school. I feel like in high school it was so small and you definitely knew everyone and everyone was trying to get to that top friend group but here everyone is just chilling, like no one really cares but I also like that it’s still small enough that i know people everywhere that I go but still see new people.
Q: Your Experience Hooking up/ dating while black?
A: Well so far it’s been pretty interesting. I haven’t really talked to a lot of black people romantically since being here. I think though that an idea that kind of transcends many settings is this fear of being fetishized or like being told “you’re pretty for a black girl” or things like “ oh you’re skin is popping” and I’m just like “what are you talking about?”. Actually my first kiss in high school, the guy actually said the line. He said “oh she’s so pretty for a black girl” and at the time i didn’t understand why it was bad, but now it haunts me. Like I wish I could look him in the eye and just say “fuck you” but here I feel like the options are so limited that I lower my standards just so I’m not alone and I think that it’s taking a toll on how I look at relationships and how my trust in other people can be manifested in that way but I think that it’s something that all black women deal with. And we kind of have it the hardest when it comes to dating and relationships because there’s some people who won’t even look at you because you’re black and they don’t even know you, they just say “black women aren’t my type”. And I actually saw this tweet where someone said not liking black women was just a preference and one of the responses was “Can you explain how it is a preference without being racist or colorist?” and you can’t! Like I know why you don’t like black women but you can’t explain it without being racist and that’s the problem and i feel like i try to overcompensate with how I look and the kind of people I attract and… I don’t know! I’m tired , I wish it was easier but it’s not and that’s just how it is.
Raimundo, CMC '22 (Compton, CA)
Q: What’s your whole identity/Aspirations in Life?
“My goal is also to make some really important social changes…. And I want to use media. I’m really into superheroes, especially spider-man. Like I would say spider-man is responsible for a big part of who I am today… So even without the superpowers, I want to be able to make the changes that they’re able to make and influence people to be better. And I think media plays a big role in who we become and it’s a big part of what we consume so I want to create animation to influence people to be better and kinder.”
Q: How do you feel being a black man on CMC’s campus?
“... It’s been a bit of a struggle adjusting however just because I try to be a considerate person but being black and from Compton, people here have a lot of expectations of who I’m supposed to be based on stereotypes… so it’s interesting trying to adjust and think “okay I have to be considerate that these people just don’t know” and I’m okay with educating people. I think that is important… it’s just weird because I’m not who they expect me to be and that’s another reason why I’m glad I’m here because I can represent my city and my race at the same time.”
Q: How do you feel being black on the 5C campus?
“I’ve noticed at certain schools there a certain vibe, especially with the black men. Like at Pitzer, I remember approaching a group of black men at the Scripps carnival and as soon as I introduced myself, they all hugged me and they were all from Pitzer… so whenever I’m at Pitzer and I see black men, they’re always just really open and want to get to meet me. But whenever I’m at like Pomona, so far in my experience, the black people I’ve met there so far don’t usually mess with me or care that we should try and support each other. I just think in my experience so far, I just haven’t received the same type of support I think.
Rex, Harvey Mudd '22 (Long Island, NY)
Q: How does Harvey Mudd compare to your high school experience?
“Well Mudd is like 30 percent asian and 30 percent white whereas my high school was 5 percent asian, less than 1 percent white and mostly african american and Mudd is only 3 percent african american. So there being like a lot fewer black people at My school is a lot different than all of my other experiences. I haven’t found it too hard to adjust but I guess Mudd is also very academically driven which is different from high school as well.”
Q: How do you feel being black at the 5Cs?
“I think the consortium helps with being black because it’s easy to connect and share experiences with other black people in 5c events but yeah Mudd is pretty far from CMC and Pomona so it is pretty hard at times to connect with other people.”
Paris, Pitzer '22 (Inglewood, CA)
Q:How would you say Pitzer is different from your high school?
A: Well of course Pitzer’s predominately white, that’s the biggest difference but.. Well yeah the biggest difference is with race but then also another difference is like of course this is a liberal arts college and like whatever that means but like everybody is so nice here and cares about you. And the thing that keeps striking me is like something that wasn’t present in my high school and the community i grew up in is asking people about their gender pronouns. That’s completely unheard of Where I'm from and I’m still learning about gender identities and just the different types of people here that are not present at my high school. Like i’m still trying to figure all those things out and it’s just so different here […]
Q: Outside of the black community, have you had to recognize and acknowledge your blackness in a white space while being on campus or felt your blackness being pointed out by your peers?
A: Just like explaining culture norms… that’s just like a specific thing within my suite, like explaining a part of myself like my hair. I’m blessed to say that in all my four classes I’m not the only black person in my class so I don’t have to feel threatened in the pw space, so i guess only my suite experience made me feel like “boom you’re like black and different” and in general I just don’t try to put myself in pw spaces because I just don’t really identify with that “hipster” culture that dominates the campus. Like I’m not into those things so I just don’t end up in predominantly white spaces. I just don’t do those things, they’re just not my hobbies
Q: How do you feel about the hook up/ dating culture while black on the campus?
A: It’s so sad. All I want is some chocolate. All the ones at pitzer already have girlfriends, so then you look at the other campuses and you see someone cute and the first question I have to ask myself as well is “do they even like black women?” Cuz like they’re so few of y’all so I don’t even know if y’all are checking for us. Also I’m not part of the hook up culture so just trying to talk to black men is hard because I’m just not sure. I also feel like some of them are intimidated by black women and also think that we’re not checking for them which is not true... it’s just like where are y’all at. Also on a personal level, I’m just scared to talk to guys as well.
Tyler, CMC '22 (Queens, NY)
Q: Have you had to recognize and acknowledge your blackness in a white space while being on campus or felt your blackness being pointed out?
“ I think Andover made me fully aware of my status as a black man. So I think the transition into CMC and having those moments of “oh I’m the only black person in this class” or “oh this conversation has a lot of generalizations going on” have definitely happened but I have the tools and experiences from high school to handle them appropriately.”
Q: How do you feel about the hook up/ dating culture while black on the campus?
"... I think that you know coming from another PWI, like most things translate over regardless of where you are in the country but I think the difference here versus Andover is that people actually care about one another here. Like if someone gets hurt, no one acts like a head-ass and laughs, like they actually try to find someone to get help...”
Thoughts in general about being at CMC?
“I think at CMC there definitely needs to be more attention on how to bring communities together. Like I think there are clubs and stuff like that, but if you don’t sign up right at the beginning then you don’t have any communication and don’t know where to go and sometimes they’ll tell you to reach out to a certain person if that happens. But what if you’re not comfortable reaching out to them? I feel like that could be a problem for a lot of newer students, I think there should definitely be an easier way of getting everyone together.”
Jordan, Pomona '22 (Chicago, IL)
Q: What would you consider you're whole identity?
I don’t know, I guess being a back woman is a large part of my personality. My sexuality is a big part of my personality as well but it's not something that I'm super active with but I feel like all of the organizations and people that I gravitate towards are people that look like me, sound like me… but also once I got here I didn’t realize how big of part of my personality being from Chicago would be, it's like a whole category on this campus. So I’d say being black, a woman and from Chicago are the biggest parts of my personality on this campus, in Chicago I think also being an activist was a big part of me.
“I think posse is a huge part of my identity as well… it’s like having a family here away from home and it makes forming networks here a bit easier because you already kind of have that backbone.”
Q: Moments on campus where you’ve had to recognize your blackness or it was pointed out?
“I think a big things as well that I’ve experienced is that because I’m Posse, people assume I’m first- gen or low income or even if they don’t know I’m Posse, they assume it because I’m black. And I’m like no, and I guess I understand where other black people are coming from with the question but I feel like just don’t make that generalization.”
Ryan, Pomona '22 (Chicago, IL)
Q: How do you feel being in Claremont versus back home?
“It’s hard because I think it’s one thing to visit pomona and see the village for a couple of days versus actually moving here and living year round, no sky rises, no food places, no cheap little stores, nothing that comes with being in a city but I think being out here has made me appreciate city life a lot more.”
Q: Moments on campus where you’ve had to recognize your blackness or it was pointed out?
“Earlier in the school year, in one of the classes that I dropped, my professor assumed that I was a low income student and I mean I don’t know, it was just a weird moment. Because the professor was also white and I was just uncomfortable… It wasn’t like a huge blow because I had had people assume things like that before and say worse but it was annoying because it was the first day of class… Someone had mentioned that they were a fly scholar and she had went around the room asking people if they were fly scholars and she did not ask any white students, only POC and especially black students. She just specifically tried to point people out which I thought was annoying”
Q: How do you feel dating/ hooking up while black?
“The queer community on campus is very white centric, I think one of the places I feel my blackness the most distinctly is within the dating environment as it pertains to the LGBT community just because in general, people place a heavy value on ‘average white people’ and it’s really frustrating in the fact that I just don’t get it because they get hyped up for doing the exact same thing the POC are doing and the only difference is their ability to appeal to eurocentric beauty standards and eurocentric ways of thinking. So yeah I kinda feel excluded from that general area, but I mean it’s not that bad when I’m at Pomona but when I get onto campus’ like CMC or Pitzer… whoo, it’s just worse.”
Alicia, CMC '22 (Pasadena, CA)
Q: Moments on campus where you’ve had to recognize your blackness?
“...My hair for instance, takes time, and there’s not a lot of people here that understand that because they just don’t have the same hair. And also I guess in some of my classes, I am the only person of color but it isn’t something that bothers me a lot, it just is what it is.”
Q: How do you feel being black at CMC and the 5Cs?
“For me it was even a little more difficult at the beginning of the year, being mixed race. It’s a common problem that a lot of mixed people go through of the fact that you don’t even know where you fit in and this idea of “Am I hispanic enough? Or am I black enough?” … it’s dumb sometimes because obviously you are enough but yeah… I mean I’m afro- latina and I did a presentation about this in high school but it’s just an experience where afro- latina women feel like they don’t have a lot of voice and they feel outcasted because you don’t look ‘stereotypical’”
“Definitely as a woman of color I have felt instances on this campus where I feel like I’m being condescended which is not okay and I feel like it may be different for guys because they’re not thinking into those little things to prove your capability and reputation and gain respect.”
Brian, Pomona '22 (Albuquerque, NM)
Q: How would you compare Pomona to your high school?
A: So I went to a college prep school so the work isn’t too much more, it’s just the time. We have so much more free time that we have to fill up which is not the same. Demographic wise, Pomona is definitely way more diverse, which is like something they pride themselves on. They try to be as diverse as possible, I’m pretty sure it’s the most diverse in the 5Cs.
Q: Hooking up/ talking/ dating while black ?
A: So you mean like being black in college on top of the hook up culture? Well I can’t really speak to people who aren’t black, I can only speak to my experience, and I feel like being black probably doesn’t make a difference… or maybe it has, I don’t know. In general, I feel like hook up culture theres like a tendency for it to be like one sided expectations and not a lot of fulfillment of those expectations. Like I respect when people are direct and honest but I think the idea of hook up culture encourages people to not talk about what’s going on so yeah that leads to unhealthy relationships and people to regret certain decisions.
Q: How do you feel expressing yourself and art on campus?
A: Expressing art on campus? I mean I haven’t really done much of that yet on campus, I think the only way I’ve been expressing myself is through the way I talk and dress I guess. And personally I feel fine with it I don’t feel any judgements but I feel like there are situations that I’m in that there’s discrimination that I’m just not seeing.
Sobé, CMC '22 (MaTteson, IL)
Q: Moments where you’ve had to recognize your blackness at CMC?
“ I just remember on the first night there was supposed to be this “scavenger hunt” and they said that you might get a little wet so I thought I would be fine and my hair wouldn’t get super messed up considering I just washed it and i don’t wash it as often. But I was lucky enough to have a FYG that told me before hand that it was really water party and we would get soaking wet. So we would be prepared and I really appreciated that. But FOMO was real, I mean it was the first week of college so I had put on a shower cap and also put on my hoodie and I still had fun. But i was really conscious the entire time.”
Q: Being black at the 5Cs?
“I mean it’s okay, I know that every party and hang out is not tailored to me or my culture but it’s great when there is… Not every event is made for you and that’s okay, sometimes it’s cool to go out and engage and learn or just not engage and go about your day. But yeah I think being black at the 5Cs was pretty good so far.”
“ I wish that Claremont McKenna as a school has a more united black union and more people participated. I would just really like to understand why people don’t want to involve themselves and engage in the black community. And it kinda sucks to see that it’s a problem here as well as my high school”
Janise, CMC '22 (San Diego, CA & Missouri)
Q: How does your high school experience compare to being here at CMC?
“ A lot of my high school was me trying to find black people but not being able to associate with the ones in my school because I was very ambitious and goal oriented and they weren’t really like that. They just did the day to day, and didn’t really go to there classes and I didn't want to associate with that… Whereas when I come here [CMC] and meet other black people that have the same goals and have the same ambitions, it’s a lot easier for me to connect with them.”
Q: Your identity?
“... My mom brought this up with me a while ago but she’s helped me think about it and I consider myself a woman before I’m black. For me being a woman is very important and knowing my rights and my woman’s history...”
“...I think my identity is one of a worrier, I kinda feel like I have to be worrying about something or I get stressed out. It’s because I feel like if I’m not worrying about something, that means something’s not getting done and I have nothing I’m working towards and I’m not on top of everything.”
Christina, Scripps '22 ( Bay Area, CA)
Q: What was the demographic you were surrounded by growing up?
“Well I moved to the bay area when I was 11 but before that my demographic was mainly african american and black but when I moved to the bay area, because it’s just so expensive over there and the diversity is not really great, I was in a more white environment. So it was a definite culture shock but over time I got used to being the only black person in my classes… but I’m glad I got the experiences to be the majority for once.”
Q: Moments where you felt your blackness on campus?
“I think mainly in classes, especially in CORE…. It’s basically a class about community and I think it’s a waste of time. But I think yeah I am the only black person in my core class and it’s just annoying when race comes up and I’m sitting there like “wow these people don’t know what they’re talking about” and that could be frustrating."
“Sometimes it feels special because I’m like “oh I’m one of the few black women here” but then it’s kind of stressful because you get tired of being the only one in your classes and feeling excluded at times, until I get around my friends.”