REPRESENTATION: WHY DOES IT MATTER?

When I was younger I remember emulating my older brother, much of his mannerisms became mine, till this day people will tell you that we walk and talk alike. When someone like myself is asked how did the lack of a solid father figure affect me growing up, well, the simple answer is a lot. The way that I see it is that much of what we do in our later years is either a response of the healthy circumstances we are trying to continue, or the unhealthy things we try to run away from. Being a black person is academia with a shaky upbringing can hinder your personal and professional growth, in this way, I firmly believe in structures that build who we are. It takes a village is what I have grown accustomed to hearing, this simple analysis states that in order for one to navigate successfully through life and its ups and downs that they would need a multitude of tools or resources in order to build and center yourselves in hard times. This I believe is done in a multitude of different ways, different people bring a number of things into your life to help you grow. The stability of healthy relationships you build with those close to you is therefore essential is the make up of the person, without it we lose a lot interms of who we are and who we want to become.