
Chapter 2
…Wasn’t Always A Token
A deeply personal narrative on family origin, racial rejection, and the moment Michael realized his body had become racialized. The chapter traces his move from multicultural South Florida to white-dominated Western PA, illuminating how whiteness projects scripts onto BIPOC youth, regardless of who they actually are.

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🥂Random links are the neurodivergent off ramp. Nestled between paragraphs are what I expect you to click if you so decide to engage how this neurodivergent writer’s mind works. Totally optional:
🥂https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBf0NXoSpDJ/?igsh=Y3pqcXRxZjN6ZnNl
🥂https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBf0NXoSpDJ/?igsh=Y3pqcXRxZjN6ZnNl
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🌱 Getting Involved prioritizes action. Ways I planned for you to engage your body or mind like you would a rep in the gym. Reading the pages is the inhale, but getting involved is the exhale:
🌱 Questions For BIPOC Readers:
1. Where does this chapter resonate in your story?
2. Ever walk into a room and one of the first things you do is scan the room for other Black or Brown people? This was my baptism into that practice.
🌱 For White Readers:
1. When was the last time you were in a room where the person in power didn’t look like you?
2. What’s your earliest memory of that experience? What happened?
3. Were there any paradigm shifts you can recall?
🌱 For White Readers in Positions of Power:
1. When making decisions about hiring, leadership, or mentorship, have you ever assumed someone “wasn’t a good fit?” If so, how did you define “fit?”
2. How do you make space for voices that don’t mirror your own?
3. Have you ever asked a person of color to speak for a community rather than from their own experience?
4. When was the first time you thought of yourself as white? Is it just now? Write that down here for your records with the date and time.
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🌱 Questions For BIPOC Readers:
1. Where does this chapter resonate in your story?
2. Ever walk into a room and one of the first things you do is scan the room for other Black or Brown people? This was my baptism into that practice.
🌱 For White Readers:
1. When was the last time you were in a room where the person in power didn’t look like you?
2. What’s your earliest memory of that experience? What happened?
3. Were there any paradigm shifts you can recall?
🌱 For White Readers in Positions of Power:
1. When making decisions about hiring, leadership, or mentorship, have you ever assumed someone “wasn’t a good fit?” If so, how did you define “fit?”
2. How do you make space for voices that don’t mirror your own?
3. Have you ever asked a person of color to speak for a community rather than from their own experience?
4. When was the first time you thought of yourself as white? Is it just now? Write that down here for your records with the date and time.
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🧭 Side Quests this invites exploration without overwhelming. An exploration that is fully optional and for only if a section really lands for you but you want more about the topic… I got you. Each one extends the experience, turning a chapter into a journey: