Page 21 - Language and Literacy Project Stories Revised

phenomenon to me, I realized that she had made described
something that I had subconsciously registered as the norm.

Slowly, it became apparent that my hybrid culture was only
acceptable in certain arenas; in others, English and English alone
was regarded as correct. Code-switching was necessary to be
considered intelligent; professionalism in American culture
required the use of pure and untainted English. It was less a
concept of formality and more a product of the struggle to
assimilate and be taken seriously.

As I grew, my comfortable naivety was disrupted somewhat.
As I developed the concept that my Nigerian culture and
language was considered inferior to “authentic” Americanism.
I began developing a shield around my culture to keep it safe
from people who found it foreign. Stories 3 and 4 showed scenes
from this period of time, where my pride in the beauty of my
heritage was torn down piece by piece. During my early teenage
years, it became increasingly more difficult for me to talk about
my culture, in fear of being condemned and misunderstood. I
was increasingly less likely to have candid conversations about
my identity. My confidence had been torn down at the
detriment of my self-image.

I began attending the North Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics (NCSSM) in Durham, North Carolina in the 11
th
grade. Here, I became exposed to the most ethnically diverse
community that I had ever had the opportunity to be a part of.
This is where Chapter 5 takes place, my senior year at NCSSM,
during AfricaFest. This was just a snapshot of the personal
growth that I experienced within this community; by interacting
with people who had struggles and backgrounds similar to mine,

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