Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Haley Reading (Group 1): Nafissa Thompson-Spires’s “The Body’s Defense Against Itself”


By Lakenzie Walls and Howard Rambsy II

In Nafissa Thompson-Spires's story “The Body’s Defense Against Itself,” we catch up with Fatima as an adult. She is in the midst of yoga poses when Fatima notices another Black woman in the yoga session. Fatima looks back on her childhood relationship with Christinia, the only Black girl in her elementary school.

In one instance, Fatima reflects on her conflicts and rivalries with other Black girls and that preceded her thoughts about the Black woman in her yoga class. At the end of the story, she recalls, “I’ve been doing this yoga since I was a child. I wish I were more evolved” (64). Apparently, Fatima realizes that she somehow struggled with the only other Black girl or Black woman for quite some time.

It’s easy and understandable to have a judgement about Fatima’s struggles with the only other one. But for now, let’s replacement judgement with curiosity.

What’s something you became curious about, wondered about, or questioned as a result of reading this story? In brief, why would the question you raised or what you became curious about be important to consider?

60 comments:

Linda H. said...

I wonder why Fatima and Christiana couldn't just be friends or at least cordial with each other. While they were the only two black girls in class where they could have stuck together they were always conflicting. In their own way it seemed they were trying to fit in with their white peer. Christiana's bullying was most likely just to make her classmates like her better, which didn't really work as time went on she became more of an outcast. Fatima seemed to keep a lower profile but also felt the need to compete with the only black girl which she carried into adulthood.

Linda H.

Thomas Siganga said...

I believe that this passage brings about two different parties that are trying to accomplish a similar goal but have different roots. This root is not in their skin color, they both could have worked together through their primarily white school, but in the end, their differences to fit in or even body shape might have been the push for one-sided bullying. It's crazy how getting attention might seem like a good thing, but in actuality makes you more separated as a jerk than anything. I guess my question is what would have happened if Christina was not so fixated on bullying to get attention?


Thomas Siganga

EvanCeleste said...

This reading made me question how society sets black women up for interpersonal relationships with other black women. Speaking from my own personal experience, I would say that if you and one or two other black students or workers are in a primarily white environment, you are clearly either pitted against each other as competitors or you are lumped in together as the same or "so similar" that you should be best friends. It makes one a little resentful of each other if you are not careful, but in my case, there was open communication about the stereotypes that our coworkers expected of us and we would just correct their behavior.

Alayna M. said...

I wonder what Fatima's outcome would've been if she'd been able to befriend another black girl in her elementary years. If Christinia hadn't been so cruel (likely to try to impress/fit in with her white classmates) she probably would've found a strong, reliable friendship in Fatima. I understand why Christinia wanted to be liked by the white kids, but there's something just "right" about having friends that look like you. They get you without trying. I think Fatima also needed a friend like that. Someone to get her.

Alayna M.

Kenisha Townsend said...

I wondered why Fatima had several conflicts with other black girls. When I find myself in a predominantly white environment, it brings me comfort to see a fellow black woman. I don't necessarily try to befriend her, but I do hope to introduce myself and conversate with her. Black women should stop trying to make things into a competition or create problems where there are none and stick together. There will be times where we will need support from one another when faced with certain issues that only we as black women would understand. Therefore, it is important to consider why Fatima had many conflicts with other black girls to determine how she can better her relationships with other black women as an adult.

Kenisha Townsend

Jaydyn Zykan said...

While reading this section, I kept wondering what kind of relationship Fatima and Christinia could have had if they did not feel the need to compete against each other. Since they both attended a primarily white school and were the only black girls, I think that they both could have developed a strong relationship. It kind of seemed as if they both wanted approval from their white peers (in particular, Christinia), but I believe that this would not have been necessary if they both were able to share experiences with each other that only they could understand as black women.
Jaydyn Z.

Anonymous said...

After reading this sections I saw the result Fatima's confrontations with Christina as a commentary on how society sets up black people to go against each other instead of banding together. Instances like these happen all the time, and as evidenced by the story learned confrontation like this can have long lasting consequences. Ranging from mistrust in fellow black people to the worst case scenario of black on black crime. The only thing we as black people can do is teach younger generations the danger of this type of peer pressure and hope they take our words to heart. Because at the end of the day it will always have an effect on how they act and that's sad.

Chris W.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why Fatima felt she needed to avoid her after all those years. Then years later she feels another occurrence happening similar to her and Christina. My question is important to consider because it is great to understand why people do certain things, to help them in times of need. This is one of those times when Fatima needed help to understand life and relationships.

Alexis H.

Anonymous said...

Clearly Fatima and Christinia are different, but I was curious as to why they could not put their differences aside. I felt like if they would have befriended each other instead of becoming "enemies", they could have helped each other a lot throughout school. One way Christinia could have helped Fatima would have been to help her stand up for herself. Despite their differences, I think that when black women come together they can be unstoppable. I also think that sometimes black women feel as though other black women are competition, instead of looking at each other as an opportunity to learn from each other. I also wondered if the relationship between their mothers in the earlier reads contributed to their hatred for one another. If you think about it, most people pattern after what they see and experience from their peers, parents, and others around them.


I'yauna Brown

Danielle Hawthorne said...

Something I became curious about during this reading was even though these girls couldn’t be friends why couldn’t they just get along? Christina in my opinion just bullied Fatima in order to make friends at their all white school. Also, even though these girls were the only two black girls in there school they grew up/ were raised very different from each other. Fatima stated that Christina wore fake hair and bragged about having Indian blood. Fatima never tried to take away from the fact that she was African American. This question is raised is important because throughout the book so far, these do have done nothing but beef with each other. I think that maybe these too should agree to disagree. They don’t have to be friends because they are both black but they can respect each other and lift each other up.

Danielle Hawthorne

latrina brown said...

After reading the sections, I have realized that I tend to see the conflicts that Fatima and Christinia have on a daily basis. I come from a predominately white school and there were few blacks. The black females in my school were always at odds with each other, I think it is because we were all different people of the same race thrown in an all white school. Fatima and christinia could have put their differences to the side and stuck together.

Alexis S. said...

After Fatima mentioned that Christinia had a multitude of medical knowledge and had since went on to become an OBGYN, I wondered where she was located at and if Fatima and her had ever crossed paths since becoming adults. I found Fatima's reflection of their friendship to be very interesting and also wondered why Fatima had never reached out to Christinia, so that they could talk about their differences and trauma they endured while being friends. I find my questions that I raised to be important to consider because it would help explain why Fatima has been so fixated on her childhood friendship with Christinia, and it would help to answer the question of why they couldn't stop bullying and forgive each other and become friends.

- Alexis S.

Samantha A. said...

As a result of reading this story, I wondered why Fatima never reached out to Christinia to talk about their toxic friendship as they practically bullied each other. Throughout reading this story, I realized that Fatima has unresolved trauma from Christinia's words and actions that is having a negative impact on her health. This is important to consider what drove them to act this way towards each other knowing that they are one of the few African American girls at the school. They should have leaned on each other through struggles instead of adding extra conflict and stress upon themselves.

Samantha A.

Brooke Harris said...

It makes me curious on why it seems female bickering are like this. I know others as well as myself who will argue/fight and then go to avoiding each other only to then make up later. I wonder how things would have turned out different with their relationship, for example maybe further down the line they could have been close friends and done yoga together. Not only this but I wonder why there is this 50/50 chance in the black community between females of either hating another black woman's guts or being absolute best friends, especially when we know that there are so many other people against us as well.

-Brooke Harris

Breana B said...

As I’m reading this chapter, I question why Fatima feels like she has to be in competition with black women. I know she has a past with her and Christinia and felt like she was in competition. I wonder why she still feels that way. Often times as black women when there aren’t many of us, we feel the need to prove ourself. Fatima still feels like this because she’s trying to compete with the new black woman in the class. I feel that Fatima must learn to move past the situation so she doesn’t have to feel like she’s in a constant competition. This question is important to consider because Christinias actions are still affecting Fatima after all these years. It’s holding her back from developing healthy relationships with black women.

-Breana B.

Tracy Long said...

After reading this story it made me wonder why did they have such a weird friendship , maybe it was based off of looks because Fatima was skinny. Years later Fatima has trauma from the bullying she took, I think that maybe she bullied her because she wanted acceptance from the white kids at school .

Anonymous said...

My biggest take away after reading this story is bullying can alter how you view yourself for your whole life. Why didn’t the teacher say something directly to the children when she knew Fatima was being bullied?! She could have at least told everyone to stay in their seats when they were sniffing her. My question is, if a school is supposedly prestigious does that automatically mean that will be the best experience for your child?

Through her toxic relationship with Christina when she was young, she has unconsciously created a negative conditioned response to black women in her adult life. Not only did the bullying create this negative thought pattern around other black people in her life, but also damaged how she viewed herself.

I was bullied all through out elementary school and middle school, and those insecurities and pointed words from back then still haunt me. Kids can sense the vulnerable and tear them to shreds. To this day I am not aware of anything or anyone more hateful than school children. When I have children, I want to home school them and let them develop into themselves without being torn down before they can build themselves up.
Alexys Williams

Ehriana . C said...

One thing I questioned while reading the story is what was Christinas life story. What made her bully other people in elementary and middle school? This is important because the way she acted towards Fatima shaped how Fatima viewed and competed with other black women. Had Christina not bullied her, I believe Fatima would have felt more comfortable with who she was and the plot of the story may have been different. I think it would be interesting to read about Christinas perception of all that has happened between them.

Isaiah Jackson said...

This story made me wonder about Fatima's medical conditions, mainly because they strongly influenced her outlook on life. Until nearly the end of the story, we cannot be sure of what her medical conditions are. Fatima mentions her skinniness multiple times, even noting that she thought her skinniness was the only attractive thing about her. When it is confirmed that Fatima had Bulimia, new context is given to her interactions with Christinia.
We also find out that Fatima has endometriosis, which causes her bleeding. Not only does Fatima struggle with her identity as a black woman (as we learned in the Biloquist), but she also struggles with her body itself, due to her multiple medical conditions and her previous eating disorder. With Christinia's constant teasing making her self image worse, I was able to understand how Fatima's insecurities could grow, contributing toward her competitive nature and judgmental thoughts.

-Isaiah Jackson

Kelsey McNeil said...

After reading this story, I am curious to know why Fatima and Christinia never talked to each other about the way they felt or the way they were treating one another. I thought about this especially after Fatima makes a comment about Christinia's weight and then says " I winced when I saw the quick flash of pain in her eyes and watched her walk away from the table" (60). Fatima made this comment after Christinia said something about her vegetarianism. After this exchange all I could think about was how if they just sat down and talked to each other they would be able to get all of their feelings out and try to understand what their issues were between one another. I know it would be difficult since they're only in high school at that part of the story, but I think it would have been helpful.

Kelsey McNeil

Teighlor Traywick said...


I would be curious to know what kind of role models or examples of black women/ girls she saw in the media or in entertainment. I would want to know this because children are very impressionable, and the media we often consume can have a big effect on us. If Fatima did not have positive examples of black women being friendly with each other , instead of viewing the other as competition or a threat, then it would be difficult for her to cultivate healthy relationships with other black women around her. This is why not only does representation matters, but positive representation matters, especially when it comes to what children consume

Teighlor Traywick

Jovahna Williams said...

I wonder why black females must argue with each other the way that they do. It makes me uncomfortable when I am the only black person or even black female in a setting so if I were to see another black female it would bring me a lot of comfort. But I also have first hand experience with being friends with predominately white girls and not having a chance to be friends with other black girls so it was more likely that I would bicker with them whenever I encountered them. Nevertheless, the argument that was started was unnecessary and I don't really understand why things went the way they did.

-Jovahna Williams

Alliyah M. said...

After reading the story, I was curious as to why Christinia and Fatima always felt there was a competition between them, especially for so long. I just don't see why there is a need for this competition, especially if it only led to both having emotional trauma and developing insecurities. If they instead either completely ignored each other or at least be friendly towards each other, it would've been a better outcome for both.

Ayo J said...

In reading this story so far, I have always wondered why Fatima continues to question her identity of being black in the midst of other black people. People might not always be willing to relate with others for one reason or the other. Therefore, having to based things on the issues of being black among a few black people in a PWI might seems more of a social issue.

Dasmin said...

After reading the story, my question is why did Christinia and Fatima compete and bully each other for friends? As the only two black girls in school, they had a lot in common and could have helped each other. Instead of attacking each other, they could have become friends and share their struggles with being the only two black females in the school. I also think that this story represents society's view of black women. Black women are portrayed as loud, difficult, always wear weave, etc. Black women are much more than that just like Christina who went on to get an OBGYN.

Kristian Beal said...

I was left feeling like why Fatima and Christiana couldn't just be cordial with each other. Being the only two black girls in class, they could have stuck together, yet they were always fighting. I couldn't help but feel like they were both trying to fit in with their white peers but in their own ways. I also wondered why Fatima never reached out to Christinia later on to heal because Fatima has unresolved trauma from Christinia's actions and it still phases her.

Noah Jones said...

After reading this section, I wondered if there's anything in society that could change that would make it easier for two black women like Fatima and Christiana to be friends. I really think it does boil down to acceptance. If the two girls didn't have to try so hard to fit in with their white peers and be "accepted," and they both could just function as their most true selves, they may have found they had more in common than they thought they did. It seems the main difference that hindered their friendship was how they chose to try fitting in, and if they didn't have to try fitting in, they may have been good friends.

- Noah Jones

Youssef Hassan said...

After reading this pages 51-64, I wanted to know more about how yoga works and how effective it can be in terms of clearing the mind and stretching the body. I thought about this because this is the basis of the story, which allowed Fatima to think back to certain events in her life. It seems like as Fatima was in her yoga session, she seems to have thought about some of the negative things that took place in her life. Maybe recalling these events, with the help of yoga or exercise, can benefit one's mind in terms of how they think of themselves socially and physically.
-Youssef Hassan

Kalonji said...

Reading this short story really made me curious as to why exactly Christiana and Fatima aren't friends exactly. The exact root of this adversary is confusing and sort of hard to pinpoint. There was one exchange between the two where Christiana removed a splinter from Fatima's palm and up until Christian decided to freak Fatima out with her "palm reading" and gave her the prognosis of an early death it was actually a pretty pleasant interaction between the two. Both of these girls are intelligent and black growing up in a setting where that combination didn't exist outside of them. Intuitively, you would think that they would've gravitated towards each other and uplifted each other. It makes me wonder if they were too busy trying to prove to their peers that they belonged and that's how their relationship became a competition. Maybe there are other examples of this dynamic in real life and it occurs more than I think? If the setting was different I feel like Fatima and Christiana would've been more likely to become friends.

Philip Bowen said...

After reading this passage I'm still curious to why Fatima and Christiana couldn't put their differences to the side and accept one another. I think with them being friends and having each other that would mean they wouldn't have to bully each other to make their white friends impressed. I feel like this competition between them has cause emotional distress and identity problems for Fatima and why she hasn't moved on from the past.

gabby said...

This book made me ponder as to why Christiana and Fatima weren’t actually friends. Maybe it was because of the way that Christina bullied Fatima in schools which in turned shaped how Fatima viewed other black women. This may in turn be why Fatima is not comfortable with herself and her blackness. This really shows how bullying can have a detrimental effect on one’s self image and perception of themselves.

Gabrielle Wimes

Samontriona P. said...

I wondered why there was so much conflict between Christina and Fatima. It is apparent that they were different from one another, however, that does not mean they had to oppose one another. Especially since they were both black girls in a predominantly white school. I'm not saying they had to be best friends, it seemed that Christina was always bullying Fatima for the approval of others. This had serious effects on Fatima's view of other black women later in life.

geonel m said...

This part largely breaks the stigma we usually encounter in classes. "all black people get along." Many times in classes, subconsciously, sometimes it feels like instructors think it is better for students to be in groups by race. After reading this pages, I felt like both ladies were exuding some type of rivalry. Maybe they simply did not like each other as person. Being the only two black girls of the school does not mean they needed to necessarily be friends.

-Geonel M.

Anonymous said...

There’s actually a few things that I’m curious about pertaining to this book. I wonder how Fatima and the other girl would have been if they actually just got along, i think They could’ve been powerful together and actually helped each other in ways they couldn’t even image or wouldn’t have even thought of. I think things would turn out completely diffferent for both of them. I feel Like this happens a lot in the real world though. Black women sometimes compete with eachother instead of sticking together as a team which can also depend on the environment that they are in such as in this book

- Tymera Washington 3/11/21

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I think the big question for me is, what would it be like for her if she decided to be kind and limit the competition with the only other person of her color instead. I feel like their may be some increased form of competition just because they are both of the same color, but that should not be divisive, instead, unifying.

-Devin Ellis-Martin

Justin Jubert said...

This portion was intriguing and made me think a lot about how we operate with each other in society. Fatima and Christiana both did not treat each other with respect, which led to them ultimately not being close friends. I believe this is due to them not putting themselves in the other person's shoes and having empathy with each other. Without this, they cannot establish a meaningful connection with each other. Historically, this tension between minorities has been created by oppressors to keep them divided and fighting amongst themselves. -JJ

(Sorry my post got deleted)

Jasmyn Kloster said...

After reading this portion, it left me with the same question it seemed to have left others with, why couldn't they just resolve their issues and get along? Neither of the girls were cordial to one another, but maybe of one of them made the first step towards kindness, things would have been different. It is hard enough to be a minority, so they should have banded together. Instead of fighting for the acceptance of others, they should have accepted themselves and stopped the competition.

Jasmyn Kloster

Donovan Washington said...

While reading this passage I kept think about this question, "Why does Fatima feel in competition with black woman?" I think we learned a piece to the answer which has to do with Fatima's conflict filled relationship with Christiana growing up. I wondered about this question because of the way Fatima would think about the new black woman in her yoga class.

Adejoke Adanri said...

This chapter made me wonder why the problems between Christinia and Fatima lasted so long. It's sad that all of the trauma from their competitiveness still bleeds into Fatima’s life today as a 33-year-old woman, and that she actively tries to avoid ever running into Christina. There doesn’t seem like there was a reason any of this competition had to begin in the first place, and while they didn’t have to be best friends it's sad that they were never able to be cordial.

Phoenix Johnson said...

My question is why is Fatima always comparing herself to other black woman. It seems ever since Christina came she was always in competition. Fatima comments on how her body looks, while she is having random bleeding periods and eating disorders. This is important because Fatima being the only black kid made her have great self-esteem because she did not have anyone to compare herself to that looked liked her. As soon as Christina comes around she has poor body confidence and health issues. There might be a mental health pattern there.

Anonymous said...

This reading really made me question just how unnecessary the conflicts in the story were. Christina early on was constantly a problem for Fatima, with the way she treated her. Later in high school, when the tables were turned, Fatima continued with the series of bullying that Christina started earlier, so it doesn't seem like she had learned a lesson there. They were just about some of the only black people in that school, and rather than unite over similarities, they were separated because of their differences.

-William A.

Keaira C. said...

After this reading, there were a lot of questions I had, just from the different hidden gems that were getting dropped in Fatima's reflections of her experiences. Two questions that I raised to myself were, "Why is it so embedded in the minds of young women that they should be ashamed of their bodies?", and "Why is it so common for us women to compete and compare ourselves with one another?. Now, of course, there are so many ways and reasons to answer these but I think it's a really significant question to ask ourselves and to address because as a society individuals need to look at themselves and figure out what we're doing to contribute to these emotions of shame and envy by women and young girls. Body positivity and individuality are being more stressed today, but there are still efforts that everyone can make that would help. My favorite part of this reading was when Fatima said, "Sometimes the enemy who looks like you is but a preparation for the enemy who is you", this was a major takeaway from this reading for me, and I think it's one of the ways to answer my second question that I asked myself, while reading.

Ebonie Byrd said...

From reading this portion in the book, my question would be why does Christiania hold so much significance in her life still? It seems Fatima still has issues that have stemmed from Christiana and I think she should focus on how she can get over these issues.Since Fatima didn’t grow up around a lot of black girls I feel she has a need to constantly compete with other black women to prove her place.

Ebonie Byrd said...

From reading this portion in the book, my question would be why does Christiania hold so much significance in her life still? It seems Fatima still has issues that have stemmed from Christiana and I think she should focus on how she can get over these issues.Since Fatima didn’t grow up around a lot of black girls I feel she has a need to constantly compete with other black women to prove her place.

Stella Nguepnang said...

Something that I became wondered about as a result of reading this story is why people can find themselves in conflict with the people they have the most in common with in a group. Maybe she is used to being the sole black person and did not know what to do without that as her identity.
This question was raised because I have always wondered why it is often that two people with the same personality will not get along even though you think they would. Though this is usually thought of as the case with stubborn people with strong personalities I believe it would be the same with two people with personalities on the opposite end of the spectrum and I wonder why.

Stella Nguepnang said...

Something that I became wondered about as a result of reading this story is why people can find themselves in conflict with the people they have the most in common with in a group. Maybe she is used to being the sole black person and did not know what to do without that as her identity.
This question was raised because I have always wondered why it is often that two people with the same personality will not get along even though you think they would. Though this is usually thought of as the case with stubborn people with strong personalities I believe it would be the same with two people with personalities on the opposite end of the spectrum and I wonder why.

Anonymous said...

The question I have is why couldn’t Fatima put her feud with Christinia aside and make peace with her. Instead of being friends and uniting with one of the only other people that look like they decided to fight and bully each other. I feel that if she would have put aside her difference with Christiania, Fatima would have better relationships with other black women as in the present time of the book.

-Kenyon Davis 3/17/21

Anonymous said...

Throughout the reading, I wondered why Fatima struggled so much with her relationships with other black women. When relating the situation to me, there have been many times in which I have been the only black women in a room. When I saw another black woman though, my immediate thought was not competition, but it was more like I found an unexpected friend who also understood my struggle. Fatima could have definitely taken that route of thinking instead of always feeling like she was in competition with the one other black woman in the room. That kind of thinking was ver off outing for me.
-Raillane Kamdem 3/17/21

Anonymous said...

After reading this section of the book I found myself looking further into their relationship and how I can relate to it in my life. The author mentions that the girls would sort of be friends one day, then do a complete 180 the next. I feel like this type of relationship is common between women; a relationship where you pretend to be friends but really you are not. I could relate to this more in high school than I can now. In High school, I had many "Friends" that would constantly put me down or be rude to me.

-Jada Baker

Anonymous said...

I was curious about Christiana’s side as I read. I wondered why she acted the way Fatima described. It is important to consider because they were two of the only black girls in a predominantly white school. It makes you wonder if other circumstances lead to this competitive nature that they engaged in. In my opinion it seems like Christiana felt the need to bring the only other black down to elevate herself in the eyes of the white students, especially if she felt jealous or lower than Fatima.

-Jayla Pierce 3/19/21

James Beverly III said...

I found it quite interesting how the two females couldn’t just be friends. For one, they are the only two persons of color in that class. Typically, that compels them to stick together and be friends, not share so much hatred. Maybe as the book progresses they will begin to become friends.

-James Beverly III

Anonymous said...

I found it sad that Christinia and Fatima were not able to put aside their negative past and come together; them coming together would have been highly beneficial since they were both at a predominantly white school and felt like outsiders. Them being separated from each other only adds on to the alienation that they feel being at the school.

-Ronald A.

Torian henry said...

One thought that kept coming back to me while reading this section is, why is it a thing in literature and even parts of society today that black women and just women in general cant have genuine relationships? Like was this narrative created as like a discriminatory practice or is there actually reason behind it?

Torian henry

James Taylor said...

From reading this story of this chapter, only one question was in my mind. Why was there disharmony between Fatima and Christina, as they were growing up together? Both girls had much in common, both aught to have known in the situation they are in. It is better to be friends, to not do so would have wasted much time, for instance the time when Christina helped Fatima. Christina pulled a splinter out of Fatima's palm, then she decided to speak over her an evil saying of divination. Such words of saying one will have an early death being young, is an evil thing to say to someone. Much of their fruitless back and forth profited nothing. This is important to consider because, in life in unfamiliar territories. When two individuals have so much in common, why puts all those commonalities to shame? When both can be put to good use to grow each other, to used the shared things and maximize the benefits as friends. If they learned that at a young age, considering deeply, a beneficial future could have came about later.

-James Taylor-

Rotrisha Epps said...

After reading this story through this chapter, what raise my curiosity is why Fatima always compare herself to others. We're all different for a reason. Fatima and Christina had Conflict for so long. I wonder why they stayed so close to each other though. They really should stick together as opposed to being at odds with each other. More can be achieved when we work together. They are the only two black girls at that school and they don't have to be friends, however, I think that seeing someone that looks like you and a place for people that don't look like you should be kind of a comfort and maybe even a sense of relief that it's not just you.

-Rotrisha Epps

Rotrisha Epps said...

After reading this story through this chapter, what raise my curiosity m is why Fatima always compare herself to others. We're all different for a reason. Fatima and Christina had Conflict for so long. I wonder why they stayed so close to each other though. They really should stick together as opposed to being at odds with each other. More can be achieved when we work together. They are the only two black girls at that school and they don't have to be friends, however, I think that seeing someone that looks like you and a place for people that don't look like you should be kind of a comfort and maybe even a sense of relief that it's not just you.

-Rotrisha Epps

unknown said...

This story made it clear that birds of a feather are either opponents or friends. Considering that attending a predominantly caucasian institution can be quite daunting, the friendship between Fatima and Christinia could have mediated some of that anxiety. Black women/ POC in general, are set up to be each other’s better, resulting in disdain for ones community and even self-hate. In a world full of hatred, why not feel secure in your community and who you are. This is important because the media pushes the false narrative of “the angry black man and woman” deconstructing their own communities and being the epitome of their own downfall, when in fact this is only a product of the hand we were dealt.

Ronald Allen

Anonymous said...

I do not think I will understand why they bullied each other. It makes me wonder why it is hard for people to just sit down and talk to one another. I think they could have been great friends if this was resolved earlier.

Breann Walton

Anonymous said...

After reading this story through this chapter, what raise my curiosity m is why Fatima always compare herself to others. We're all different for a reason. Fatima and Christina had Conflict for so long. I wonder why they stayed so close to each other though. They really should stick together as opposed to being at odds with each other. More can be achieved when we work together. They are the only two black girls at that school and they don't have to be friends, however, I think that seeing someone that looks like you and a place for people that don't look like you should be kind of a comfort and maybe even a sense of relief that it's not just you.
-Rotrisha Epps 4/16/21

Unknown said...

After reading this chapter, I was curious about the commonness of black women feeling the need to either or be jealous of other black women. Instead of excelling with a peer, Fatima feels the need to do better than her. This is derived from hard work and lack of opportunities for black women, I believe. There seems to be a limit on success for minorities so the race to the top can be cutthroat. On one end, one may believe that two black girls in a PWI may work together, but in this case insecurity creates the opposite.
-Victoria Richardson