Invisibility which i am Thankful for

Invisibility is an idea that when translated can mean different things across many platforms. However, when struck down to its simplified form it solely means to not be seen. I belong to the group of people who are known as the “minority” to the majority. I am of Nigerian heritage living in the United States and being dubbed a minority has connected me to my culture by giving me a unique type of invisibility. Invisibility which has somehow proven to increase my sense of identity and individuality; setting me apart from the crowd. Not being seen by groups distant and closely related to me has been able to train the way I think of myself.

Among my race, I am a minority, so they treat me differently than other “African Americans”. I know where I’m from, so they treat me differently, that fact is the one gift I can receive from all people, all races, and all places. To easily flow from “broken English” to proper English, to be an African American and typically maintain straight “A’s”, to be called white yet, associate mostly with African Americans, then to have been called an “African Booty Scratcher” by those same African Americans after talking in my accent, and to know more than most African Americans about our own heritage, knowledge, yes, that makes me invisible, and I am thankful for it.

The connotation of “invisibility” is often misunderstood as being “the few” or “one of the few”, but in my case, it’s simply “the one”, “the odd- man out”; it means to be different. I live to be different. It always means to be an observer of the things around me in the world. To have no “crowd” that intends on shaping the way I carry myself. People who only come to know me after I’ve had time to know myself, yes, that makes me invisible, and I am thankful for it. Unlike some, my invisibility always gives me the urge to prove something, or fight for something.

These feelings which only get more powerful as more people come to realize they aren't looking close enough. Determination and devotion, yes, that makes me invisible, and I am thankful for it. With my invisibility, I’m able to take time to process and develop my emotions. Constantly trying to share love, even to those that refuse me. Promoting kindness while making loneliness become an object of the past. Positivity, yes, I get that from my invisibility and I’m thankful for it. My invisibility is a gift from all people; connecting me to my culture more and more every day.  

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