I hate when people say "You talk like a White boy" or "You act White" This always bothered me because black people have this thought that we all act alike and that’s how things should be. I always disliked this thought from the very beginning. I am a black young man, at the age of 18 I have listened to different generations of music, At times I listened to rock n roll and Billy Joel and other various white artist.  Since these type of icons weren't big in black communities it was almost like turning your back on the black community if you listened to Billy Joel instead of Tu Pac. Which I never fully understood why until I turned 16.

When I turned 16 I noticed how everybody wanted to fit in to their race to their group to find somewhere to belong to. I know some people hang out with other races and some are even best friends with others with different colored skin. But I noticed how no matter they hung with they always tried to fit in with their race, they even changed their attitude and personality when it came to it. Doing something unlike them because they can fit in with their people. 

As an athlete I'm a very competitive person and I'll take on any challenge given to me. But as a kid growing up in a mainly black community, basketball was the golden sport. If you were good at basketball you were the main talk. Me growing up I loved football. I knew every player and every team. But when it came to basketball a sport dominated by blacks I was clueless, and since I didn’t really like basketball I was basically casted out. Then  in high school I started playing Lacrosse, A sport that not many blacks play and is seen as a "White boy" Sport. Little do many people know Jim Brown one of the best NFL running backs played lacrosse in college and set many records for his school.

The way I talk and present myself I can be told I dress white. I can wear shorts and a hoodie every day because that’s what's most comfortable to me at the end of the day. But since black people don't dress that way its frowned apron and made fun of. I always wondered how my appeal can make me be a different race I was so baffled by the idea that If I dressed a certain way I was no longer seen as black by my peers. It confused me I was searching for answers but when I asked the questions nobody seemed to know.

Lastly the way I spoke I was told I talk white. Which was the most frustrating thing growing up because I felt like I was speaking the way I was taught in school. Slang was a big part of growing up in school although I used it it wasn't heavy enforced in my vocabulary. I would say big words or say full complete sentences and be laughed at by the way I spoke. It does something to you and it makes you move away from others because you feel as though you aren't accepted by your race and people. But then I realized I am just as black as any other apart of my race. Yes I love J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Yes Paul George is my favorite basketball athlete, Yes I buy Jordan's. But why does this have to only be associated with only the black community? Why can't this be shared with everyone?