Black in White
Citizen Curator: Kimari Jackson, undergraduate student, University of Central Florida
Growing up as an African American we are taught that we have to work twice as hard to get half of what white people have. So we always push above and beyond to get ahead. For years there has always been a separation between white and black people. Especially within education. We have HBCUs and PWIs, for those who do not know a HBCU is a Historically Black College or University, while a PWI is a Predominantly White Institution. As a black student at a PWI and having friends that attend HBCUs, they seem more connected to their roots and their people and we get looked down upon by some for not attending a HBCU. Our experiences are different but essentially we all want to same thing, an education. For some attending a PWI has affected them and for others it has not. What I have done with this exhibition is gather a group of African American students who attend the University of Central Florida and ask them one simple question, “what is it like being black at a Predominantly White Institution?” We all would think the answer to that question is simple like, “school is school” but I wanted to challenge these students to think about that question a little deeper. As you click each image, you will see their response.