Adopting a History

"Being the only black girl growing up in a white neighborhood is not a new story, but it is mine. My outsider status was reinforced by slights, perceived and real.

As a way to escape them, I told myself stories. I would imagine being invited to swim in the neighbors pool while burgers cooked under the dome shaped lid of the hot grill and parents sipped sweating glasses of lemonade while smiling over us.

I imagined these things from the front stoop of our house watching white kids play in the white neighbors pool and white parents standing near, keeping a watchful eye in my direction.

I grew up in a place that provided both excellent educational opportunities and acute loneliness. The stories I told myself meld with many histories: African, American, family, and the history that gets created at the close of every day."

K. Watson 2011