“The biases are evident; you just need to pay attention. Believe me, because I wasn’t spared from buying into them myself. It wasn’t until I got to college that I began to realize how much subconscious effort I’d put into being as unstereotypically black as possible. Whether in my choices concerning the way I dress, speak, or even dance, I noticed that, without realizing it, I’d habitually quelled aspects of my black identity.”

Ramesh A Nagarajah recounts what it’s like to grow up as one of the only Black kids in a rich, white suburb.

Reflections From a Token Black Friend