Feeling Comfortable?

This statement meant to encourage audience members to ask thoughtful questions also holds true for the questions we ask ourselves. Over time, I’ve come to realize, the better the questions I ask of myself, the better I respond to life and its ever-continuing obstacles.

The adversity we all endured in 2020 raised some challenging questions. One being, whose responsibility is it to make me feel comfortable in a new or different environment. Is life meant to be experienced as a McDonald’s customer or a guest in someone’s home?

From studying abroad in Paris to interviewing developers across Africa, I’ve had the opportunity to exist in a diversity of spaces and connect with individuals from all walks of life. Reflecting on this collection of experiences and assessing where I felt the most uncomfortable, it was clear it was in places I was one of few black people, which was often the case during my time in Corporate America.

Having existed outside of the corporate ecosystem for the past two years, I’ve been able to unpack my experience as a black professional honestly. And oddly, the only experience that feels similar mentally is walking through an unknown hood at night by myself. I’ll explain.

Preparation

In my teenage years, I frequently found myself exiting train stations in unfamiliar neighborhoods…