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Makana Brooks

Writer's picture: Joey O'KellyJoey O'Kelly

Updated: Sep 24, 2020


Photo by Joey O'Kelly
Photo by Joey O'Kelly

Name: Makana Brooks

Age: 19

Hometown: Liberty, MO

Current Town: Liberty, MO/Charlottesville, VA

College/Major: University of Virginia, undeclared but generally interested in Foreign Affairs/Global Studies


What does being Black mean to you?

“Being Black means being me! My identity as a Black woman has shaped every area of my life. It also means being connected to a history of resilience and perseverance in the face of incredible hardship. I’m really proud of being Black, and in spite of the pain that being Black in the United States can bring, I would never want to shed that identity.”


If you don’t mind sharing, what was your earliest experience with racism?

“I am sure that this isn’t the earliest experience I’ve had with racism, but one memory that particularly stands out was one with a neighbor that shared a bus stop with me in elementary school. Everything about the memory is fuzzy, except for the fact that one day we had gotten off the bus, and when I was walking to my house, my neighbor had shouted the N-word at me. Those moments of explicit racism are quarantined to elementary school. Racism manifested itself in more tacit ways after that. I’ve had lots of racist experiences through interactions with well-intentioned people, who I assume weren’t intending to offend or provoke me. A lot of the time, the smallest interactions are the ones that can leave the biggest impact on me. I remember working as a cashier and ringing up an old couple who were purchasing alcohol. I was a minor at the time, so I had to signal for the manager to come over and complete their purchase. While I was waiting for the manager, the lady in the couple made a remark about how the ‘18 and over’ rule for selling alcohol was silly, and I agreed. Then she said, ‘I know you’ve had alcohol before, look at that name!’ She pointed to my name-tag. ‘Come on, nobody has a name like that and doesn’t drink underage.’ She laughed. I’m sure she was trying to make a joke, but I really didn’t find that funny. I wish I could pretend I didn’t know what she was implying, but it was clear to me that she wouldn’t have said that if my name was Sarah, or Susan, or any other name from the list of ‘proper, appropriate, good White names.”


What do you want non-black POC and white allies to know right now?

“Allyship isn’t something that you can ascribe to yourself. Allyship is continuous work without expecting recognition or praise. I have noticed a trend of people treating anti-racist behaviors and acknowledgments as trophies to collect, who then get on their pedestal and shout, ‘Look at me! I am the Ultimate Ally! Sing all of your praises to me!’ No. That should not be the way through which one approaches allyship. Allies need to engage in anti-racist behavior and view it as foundational and non-negotiable work, not something exceptional or praiseworthy. You aren’t entitled to commendation. And if that’s enough to push you away from the anti-racist movement, I’d encourage you to re-evaluate your motivations and ask yourself, ‘Am I doing this to further equity, or am I doing this because I want to feel good about myself?’ Centering this movement, or any other movement dedicated to the cause of improving equity for marginalized communities, around yourself is dangerous and uncalled for.”


Want to share a story about race, racism, colorism, prejudice, etc.?

“I experienced quite a bit of racism while living in Bulgaria during my junior year of high school. I was on a student exchange, and during my pre-departure orientation I was warned about what I might experience, but I can confidently say that I was inadequately prepared for the number of comments and stares I received. Bulgaria, naturally, isn’t a country with a lot of Black people, so much of my peers’ and community members’ conception of Black American culture came from what they saw on the television - images invoking gang affiliation, a propensity for violence, laziness, etc. People would make comments alluding to those images to me, and to people close to me. They would categorize me as an exception to the rule - one person going so far to say ‘but you’re not like them, because you’re not really Black - you’re Mulatto!’ Was that supposed to make me feel better? My father isn’t mixed-race, would you apply those stereotypes to him? Being an exception to the rule of racist ideas isn’t some great honor to me. That’s not even just a Bulgarian phenomenon, though. White Americans make comments to me all the time that imply a similar notion: ‘Wow, you’re so articulate!’ ‘So well-spoken!’ Again, I understand that there are good intentions behind such comments (usually), but I doubt that I would receive them to the same degree if I were White. White people have the luxury of not being involuntary ambassadors for their race. There is nothing noteworthy or expectation-defying about eloquence in White people, because White individuals are allowed to be just that - individuals, not held down by the yoke of having to represent everyone who looks like them. When a White person fucks up, it’s a testament to their person. When a BIPOC fucks up, it’s a testament to their race. And that’s incredibly frustrating to me.”


Have you had any experiences with systemic racism (in school, work, etc.)?

“I wonder if there is a school experience I’ve had that wasn’t colored by systemic racism, haha. Probably not. I spent all 13 years of K-12 in predominantly-White institutions; where all of my teachers, with the exception of one, were White; nearly all of my peers and classmates were White; our textbooks were full of propaganda about American exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, and the Civil Rights Movement ending racism; and very little was done to challenge or even question this status-quo. So, yes, my school experience was systemically racist, in the same way that everyone’s school experience is systemically racist. It’s really only a question of whether one is benefited or harmed through said systemic racism.”


Are there any other identities you identify with that you’re okay with sharing (gender-identity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.)? Do any of these affect your experience as a BIPOC?

“Hmm. Well, I’m a woman, and I often ask myself which identity I’d choose, between being Black and being a woman, as the one that has had the most impact on my life. And I think that question is inherently flawed because Blackness and womanhood are inseparable for me. In every space I occupy, I am both Black and a woman, and my experience as such is markedly different from being either Black or a woman, independently. I find myself in a lot of ‘White feminist’ spaces, and although I can empathize with a lot of those experiences as a woman, I know that my identity as a Black person adds a dimension to my experiences that I don’t think a lot of my White friends understand, or even care to understand.”


After studying abroad in Europe, how did your view on race in America change? The world?

“I’m not sure if my view on race in America changed, but I did gain perspective on being a Black woman in a place where I saw no other people who looked like me. Bulgaria has, as I’m sure you can guess, an incredibly small Black population, even in comparison to Liberty. As such, a lot of people had questions and presumptions about Black Americans that were sometimes intentionally offensive, but more often than not came from a place of genuine curiosity and ignorance. Still, having to listen to and answer these comments was a challenge for me. But there were a lot of privileges tied to being a young American in Bulgaria. In Sofia (the capital city) especially, many people spoke English and some were eager to meet me and learn more about the United States, and I think I took that for granted. Europe is a continent full of linguistic and cultural diversity, yet learning English is considered so standard that it would go without saying that children learn it. As Americans, a lot is catered to us that we often don’t realize. So, my perspective on privilege changed more than my perspective on race.


Next, after a year of living in New York City, rather than a white Missouri town, how did your view on race in America change?

“My neighborhood in NYC and the middle school in which I worked were both incredibly diverse. I got to meet and work with people who came from all around the world, and I really appreciate that experience. I’ve always been interested in different cultures and languages, and I’m not sure if there’s a better place in the world to experience dozens of countries’ cultures than Queens, where 50% of the population is foreign-born. That was just a really cool place. I don’t know if living there changed my perspective on race in America more than it introduced me to a new side of America.”


Are there policies, ideas, or general attitudes you saw or experienced in Europe or New York that you think less diverse places like our hometown could potentially adopt or learn from? (i.e. policies or businesses that help POC)

“All three places - Liberty, Sofia, and New York - deal with their own problems of xenophobia and intolerance. The reaction to recent protests across the United States surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, exemplify that there is so much equity work to be done across this entire country, even in places considered progressive like New York. I think that exposure to different ideas and ways of life is generally a good thing, though, and the Liberty community could definitely benefit from that.”


What are you passionate about?

“I really enjoy learning about other cultures and languages! That’s probably my main passion. Working for AmeriCorps last year also helped foster a passion in educational equity that remains with me to this day. I’m really looking forward to college, because I love to learn, and hopefully I’ll be able to develop my passions further and find some new ones!”


What inspires you?

“On the most basic level, what inspires me is the notion that we can make our communities, and by extension our world, a better place. It is easy to fall into the mentality of ‘this sucks, but what can we do?’ And I have certainly spent a lot of time in that place. But in order for change to happen, we have to believe that change is possible. And we have to take the steps necessary to enact change.”


Who do you look up to?

“Ooh, hard question! There are a lot of people I look up to, but recently I’ve really found a role model in a woman named Kimberly Nicole Foster! She runs a YouTube channel called ‘For Harriet,’ which is a channel focused on culture and current events as they relate to Black womanhood. I’ve found a lot of comfort in some of her videos, but some still challenge me and help me see things from new perspectives. I really admire the research, reading, and dedication she puts into her work. If y’all haven’t subscribed to For Harriet yet, OH MY GOSH DO IT!”


Here is an organization Makana would like to promote!

“She Safe, We Safe: https://www.shesafewesafe.org/

From their website: ‘She Safe, We Safe is a transformative movement campaign led by BYP100 to put an end to the different forms of gender violence that Black women, girls, femmes and gender non-conforming people face everyday. We are embracing a dual strategy approach, which means that we will work to both shift culture & establish new ways of keeping each other safe within our communities AND work to fight against the violence of the state, particularly the patriarchal violence of the police.’”


Here are 20 of Makana's favorite songs!

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