As Carpe Mundi staff and board continue to reflect on the Black Lives Matter Movement and deepen our commitment to being an anti-racist organization, we want to take this opportunity to amplify the voice and perspective of one of our alumna, Kenya Hall. Our alumni are community leaders that are moving equity work forward in their circles of influence. We all have much we can learn from them, and we are grateful to Kenya for sharing her words:
On June 2nd I was able to hear black voices talk about how they had to "blend" in with their non-black community in order to exist, how they couldn't identify with their blackness because it was not and still is not accepted and how they denied themselves of their culture because it was a survival tactic.
So often I feel like even talking about the life experiences that I have had as a black woman to other non-black people is creating discomfort for those people. I've silenced myself for so long to keep the peace, to spare the feelings of others who can offend and sleep peacefully as if nothing wrong was said, while I stare restlessly at the ceiling thinking about all of the things that I should have said and then waking up the next day pretending that it didn't bother me.
I am tired of not being able to be upset without being seen as the "mad black woman" why can't I just be mad? I am mad because for so long I felt that my voice didn't matter.
Mad because I felt the need to silence myself.
Mad because I've spent way too long worrying about everyone else when I should have been speaking out for myself and those who needed their voices to be heard.
I am thankful to know that so many people see the importance of this protest because without solidarity, fighting this battle alone is impossible. #BLM
*Also, stop telling black people that they sound white. What do you expect, a "thank you"? My voice does not take away from my blackness just because I don't fit into your stereotype”
Kenya participated in Carpe Mundi during the 2016-2017 school year, traveling to India. She has since graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Psychology. Currently, she is working in Human Resources for the Portland Spirit, while also doing some acting and modeling on the side, and pursuing going back to school for nursing.
Kenya in India.