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Growing up as a child of African immigrants in Europe, I learned quite early that belonging often felt conditional. It depended on how quietly I could carry the parts of myself that made me different. When my classmates and teachers sounded surprised by my good results, I did not always know how to respond. After a while, those subtle comments became part of the background noise of my everyday life. As I got older, I started adjusting myself in small ways. And I stopped speaking my mother tongue in public, it somehow made me feel ashamed.
I chose hairstyles that felt less noticeable and often avoided bringing up our traditions unless someone else mentioned them first. When people repeated racial stereotypes about Black people, I often laughed or stayed quiet, even when their words stayed with me long after the conversation had moved on. Things began to change when I attended an international workshop with other Black youth from across Europe. As they spoke, I kept hearing pieces of my own life in their stories. We talked about growing up between cultures, trying to make our families proud while also trying to fit into societies where beauty, success and belonging were often measured against Eurocentric standards.
It was the first time I truly understood that what I had experienced was not just personal. It was shared. Those conversations stayed with me; realising that I never tried to become a better version of myself. I grew up trying to become a version of myself that would make White people comfortable. Admitting this was painful, but it was also freeing. I no longer see my Blackness as something I need to explain. My Blackness connects me to my family, my history and the Black community that has carried so much with courage and pride. Sharing our life stories and experience matters because it empowers us to understand that we should never have to shrink ourselves in order to belong. |
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Published on 22.07.2026 at 11:43 
