Marquez Jones,
Houston, TX
I chose “Black 365 Days of the Year” because in my heart and in the manner that I live my life, I live unapologetically as myself. The identity that I most identify with is my race and although I know that I experience prejudice, racism, and biases, I am proud of my race and my ancestry. I am fully aware that as a black male, it is not statistically expected for me to succeed or even be here in graduate school right now. Therefore, I live my life as a challenge to myself, as a way to prove doubters and statistics wrong, and as a way to show younger individuals who are also black that it is possible to be a successful black male in society. In addition, as I mentioned I am unapologetically black which means that I have no pressure to conform to what others think I should be or to lessen my “blackness” in order to appease others. One example of this is code switching in a professional setting. Therefore, I am proud that I live my life being “black 365 days of the year.”
