Mentee's Time

             My mentee/tutee is an African American girl who goes to a primarily white private Catholic school outside of Baltimore City. She is a wonderful student who quite frankly does not need my help to get A’s and B’s in her classes. However, I am very grateful to have met her and to be able to be a part of her life. 

            At her school, she has had to create her own time and space. From what she has told me, her school is relatively restrictive and conservative. As a young girl, she is taking it upon herself to find spaces where she is valued, and her narrative can be heard. I have seen her doubt her own abilities and not give herself enough credit for the work she has/is doing. I see this as a direct reflection of her feeling unvalued or undervalued. I can tell that she has dealt with living in double time. This has made her feel smaller than she should and has placed her in a position between her school and the Black community. She is serving as a liaison to her community at school and outside of school. Placing a young girl in this position is dangerous because it forces them to live between places. Living between two places prevents someone from wholly experiencing either.

However, her work in and around the school is something that she is proud of. I remind her that because of her work with the Black Student Union and other school clubs, she is demanding to be seen and heard. She is also paving the way for other Black and Brown kids like her to feel at home and feel valued in these spaces because she is so diligent in creating room to be heard.  She is willingly giving up her own time for her future and the future of people that she may never get to meet. 

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