Community during Covid | Reflections by Fellow LaNija Brown '22

I came into the fall semester with a lot of enthusiasm. I had been stuck it one place all summer with mainly myself and my amazing roommate at the time. I was ready for that to change. I was super excited for the Perkins fellowship program because I was finally able to intern at a PHYSICAL place ( a big deal during COVID) and I was able to meet with a small group of likeminded people all trying to see God in the everyday, outside of church. 

Our book, “How to be An Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi, did an amazing job explaining all the areas in life/ society that racism can affect. Every month, we would meet, discussing 2-3 chapters of the book at a time. I was impacted by every single one because we really got to see how our different backgrounds affected our experiences with racism. I also liked it because as a Black woman, I really felt like I was genuinely being listened to. The sincerity of my group members pushed me to extend grace to those who don’t know as much about racism and how to navigate it.

My favorite meeting was one of out last ones, where we sat around a fire eating s’mores and talking about colorism. Colorism is a byproduct of racism where there is prejudice against the darkest hued people in a specific racial group. I am not ashamed of my very deep brown skin, I think it is quite beautiful. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that I grew up hearing other black people hurl some of the nastiest insults at dark skinned black women. Also I am aware that even today, in 2021, there is still a general bias against dark skinned black people that is literally rooted in slavery. When talking about this to the group, I just felt a release and all of my frustrations and anger about the topic came out in an unpolished way. Despite this, they listened and offered their own input which was very helpful and affirming to me. I definitely left feeling fulfilled.

This upcoming semester, I am excited to see where God takes our conversations. I feel refreshed and ready to learn more about God and them with each passing month.