13 Steps to fit Into Hall High Being a Black Male or Female in West Hartford.

Keeping your crown high  in negative situations.

Drawing By: Nicholle Kobi

Keeping your crown high in negative situations.

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Dear Hall High;

Being a minority student and going to a school that is made up of 65% of white kids  is hard to fit in, you can only imagine. I am apart of the 35% minority but out of the 35% only 9% are black. Now imagine going to a school and there’s only 9% of your race? How would you act? Can you fit in? What would people think of  you? If you are a black student and having a hard time fitting in at Hall High, here are some tips to help you survive Hall throughout your four year.

Now Ladies first. My fellow African American ladies, going to hall isn’t going to be easy because 7 times out of 10 times you’re not going to be able to relate to the other girls. This feeling is perfectly normal, don’t freak out just follow these 4 steps:  

-Girls: If you wear L.L Bean merchandise knowing you hate the brand and can’t afford it, make a sacrifice. This will make you so popular. Trust me it’s worth starving for a couple of days and not buying lunch.

-Girls: You can’t wear the same shorts or shirts like other girls because most likely you have curves. Teachers will point you out and send you to the office but not your other white friends. It’s probably because your fabulousness is blocking everyone’s learning. Avoid this by showing no skin from the neckline down.You’ll thank me later.

-Girls: When dancing, do not dance with any hip movement even though it could be apart on your culture. Pretend to be off beat and say “yea” every three second is perfectly fine in this situation, trust me. You may look crazy at first but a lot of shoulder movement is key.

-Girls: Don’t wear braids when though it’s a protective style for your hair. They are ghetto; just wear a weave to stay safe. It’s a cold world out here kids.

Now for my fellow African American males. At first you may think that these steps don’t apply to you but trust me, after you read this you’ll be a expert. When first entering Hall here are a few tips to keep in mind when walk down the hall and into your classrooms.

-Boys: Saying “bruh” in every sentence will guarantee you best friends.

-Boys: Get rid of all of your rap music and play Coldplay, GreenDay, and Imagine Dragons; get fresh with the jams, man.

-Boys: Respond to your teachers as sir and ma’am. If you respond any other way you might get detention or In School Suspension (I.S.S.). You may be thinking that it would be the same for white kids, but it’s not. Most of the time they will punish a black male over a white male.  Fake it til you made it my fellow brotha’s.

-Boys: Do not wear a do-rag. The people at Hall may think you’re in a gang(Even though you’re wear it to get waves in your hair). Also do not dap your boys or homies at school, just keep your hands to yourself. Also to the 65% that are white reading this article, no daping is not a drug, it is a black version on a handshake. I guess you learn something new everyday.

In most cases, the boys and girls may experience the same comments and don’t know how to react. If you follow these five steps, your high school experience will be lit bruh.  

-Both: Raise your voice 10x higher and say lit every 10 seconds. You’ll get used to it after a while.

-Both: Don’t talk loud unless you’re around your white friends. Teachers won’t saying anything to you because you’re surrounded by a safe race.

-Both: If you hear racial slurs being used by your white friends and it hurts your feelings, don’t stop it; they’re only joking and they didn’t mean anything by it. These are your fellow peers they don’t mean any harm.

-Both: Your hair is a science experiment. Let them touch it because you’re foreign to them.

-Both: If a teacher or students asked you if your dad is in your life, just simple ignore the question or asked them the same question. Most of the time when you put the question back on them, they ignore it. Don’t get angry, just put of your best poker face and walk away politely. This would apply to any question you don’t feel comfortable answering that involves a typical stereotype. Such as “Are you first one in your family to graduate?” “Do you live in the hood/ ghetto?” “Are your parents on welfare?” and so forth. Remember you can’t possible have the same privileges they do because you’re black.

If you follow these steps that I provided you, you will fit into Hall High school. Just keep in mind my fellow black sista’s and brothas culture appropriation is common at Hall, ignoring the problem will only get you far, because the school won’t care how you feel. Other than that, Hall High should be a breeze. Have fun. GO WARRIORS!