She is bright, athletic, kind, beautiful and popular. Her mother has an addiction problem so she found herself in jail. That leaves Amy in the care of her aunt who is highly educated, works in an upper management position and lives in a big, suburban house.
We are on a college visit. I have taken a hand full of our African American students to see Howard University, a campus that is impressive and filled with a rich history. All of these students will be the first in their families to go to college. Their high school is filled predominately with whites. So this campus smacks them in the face with hope and pride. Several of the students tell me, “I can see me here. Yea, I like the feel of this campus.”
I ask Amy for her vibes.
“Yea, like I would really like to go here, kinda. But I can’t. It wouldn’t work for me.”
“Why?” I ask a little surprised because I think this place would be perfect for her. She would be a superstar here.
“I checked already. I asked our guide. They are closed for Thanksgiving. I would have to get out of the dorm. Where would I go for Thanksgiving?” She is teary now.
“Well, you would go home to your aunt’s house,” I tell her with a tone filled with steadfast presumption.
“No”, she tells me, “my aunt says I have to leave her house as soon as I turn 18. I’m on my own. That’s when the foster care money stops and I need to be out of the house. I need to find a college that will let me stay in the dorms over Thanksgiving.”
Memoirs of an Ordinary Woman 