We were three hours from Chicago, so my blackness was less of a curiosity, more of a threat. And there were the black students on campus, the nerve of them, daring to pursue higher education. In the local newspaper, residents wrote angry letters about a new criminal element--the scourge of youthful black ambition, black joy. In my more generous moments, I tried to believe the locals were using anger to mask their fear of living in a dying town in a changing world.
In her memoir, Roxane Gay reflects on the realities of being a Black person in a predominantly white area near Chicago. She describes how her presence was perceived not with curiosity but as a threat, highlighting the racial tensions that often accompany demographic shifts. Gay notes the audacity of Black students seeking education, which sparked resentment among some locals, leading to hostile letters expressing their fears about a perceived decline in their community.
Gay attempts to understand the motivations behind this anger, suggesting that it might stem from a profound fear of change in a town that is struggling. The resentment directed at Black youth represents a larger anxiety about societal shifts, particularly in how progress can be viewed as a threat rather than an opportunity for growth and understanding. Her narrative illustrates the complexities of race, ambition, and community dynamics in a transforming America.