My undergraduate education has been fulfilling and exciting but I simply cannot imagine ending my studies after only four years. I wish to earn a Ph.D. and ultimately become a professor so that I can continue learning through my students and research. Pursuing a graduate degree in the humanities would allow me to study the often-overlooked narratives of those with multiple oppressed identities and advocate for their understanding and acceptance. It would also give me ample opportunity to expand my knowledge and further develop skills to contextualize different identities and narratives of people from a variety of regions and background.
My course work as a Black Studies major has given me the ability to think critically and analyze others …show more content…
Wallace describes the role of black women in relation to greater society and the black power movement. She substantiates her point of view through wider cultural observations and by chronicling her own experience as a young woman growing up in the time of the black power movement. Much of the tension she mentions between black women and the black power movement permeate today and her identity as a black woman is a direct product of this tension. Reading this book caused me to become more aware of the cultural factors that shaped my identity. In the book, Wallace describes the archetype of the strong black woman. In fear of embodying this archetype, Wallace begins to stifle her own strength and negate her own agency. For her and myself, a condemnation of the strong black woman archetype was obscured with a condemnation of authentic personal strength. Much like Wallace I had kept quiet when I had something to say and been passive when I had wanted to be active. Though by the time I read Wallace’s work I had already begun to embrace my own personal strength, the novel provided me with valuable cultural context for the conception of my own black …show more content…
Wallace interested me in that she spoke on the intersection of both identities. This interest has followed me throughout my academic career and shapes the way I approach a narrative. My coursework and time working at Race Forward, a racial justice organization, my school 's Women’s and Gender Center, and as the co-chair of my campus’ Black Women’s Group have all allowed me to develop this interest. I hope to continue study in the humanities to further explore the experiences of those with multiple marginalized identities and interpret the ways in which these identities
My course work as a Black Studies major has given me the ability to think critically and analyze others …show more content…
Wallace describes the role of black women in relation to greater society and the black power movement. She substantiates her point of view through wider cultural observations and by chronicling her own experience as a young woman growing up in the time of the black power movement. Much of the tension she mentions between black women and the black power movement permeate today and her identity as a black woman is a direct product of this tension. Reading this book caused me to become more aware of the cultural factors that shaped my identity. In the book, Wallace describes the archetype of the strong black woman. In fear of embodying this archetype, Wallace begins to stifle her own strength and negate her own agency. For her and myself, a condemnation of the strong black woman archetype was obscured with a condemnation of authentic personal strength. Much like Wallace I had kept quiet when I had something to say and been passive when I had wanted to be active. Though by the time I read Wallace’s work I had already begun to embrace my own personal strength, the novel provided me with valuable cultural context for the conception of my own black …show more content…
Wallace interested me in that she spoke on the intersection of both identities. This interest has followed me throughout my academic career and shapes the way I approach a narrative. My coursework and time working at Race Forward, a racial justice organization, my school 's Women’s and Gender Center, and as the co-chair of my campus’ Black Women’s Group have all allowed me to develop this interest. I hope to continue study in the humanities to further explore the experiences of those with multiple marginalized identities and interpret the ways in which these identities