I wanted to include a few examples of the student writing that came out of the identity unit. the writing workshops produced a wide range of pieces, both in terms of student skill level and genre. with their permission (and under their chosen pseudonyms), i included a sample of each student’s writing in the print version of the project. here, i’ve included three pieces that stood out to me: a poem on racial identity and self-determination, a detailed narrative on a gendered play experience, and a portrait of home, distant and indelible.
Who I Am
By Faith
Who I am
African American or black
I say I’m black
But society wants to hold me down to just
African American
My race
My thinking
Who I am
Shouldn’t be bound down to just
African American
I’m American
Yes
African
No
Who I am
People of society can’t tell me
I am strong willed
But that doesn’t matter to society
They don’t think it describes
Who I am
Telling me I’m African American
IS NOT
Who I am
Telling me I’m black
IS TELLING ME
Who I am
No one can tell me
Who I am
So I have to tell myself
I am Black
