Black History Month Student Interviews A Spotlight on Students Making a Difference in their Communities

An Interview series with Liz Westphal

Jovanie Smith

Q: How did you get involved with NVEEE?

Jovanie: “NVEEE is an organization I became very involved with after finding out about it through another non-profit organization that I often work with. I was drawn to continue working with NVEEE due to its values and how amazing it is to voice the issues of bullying in the lives of others for the better.”

Q: Have you ever seen or experienced bullying because of someone's ethnic background?

Jovanie: "I have personally viewed bullying happening to many different minorities due to the ethnic background they identify with. One day in middle school, I remember having a new student that came from Nigeria come to my class. His skin color was a couple shades darker than everyone else's and students would often times pick on him for that. The sad part about the whole situation was that he was a really nice kid that was very respectful but because of how they treated him, he became very quiet and started to think that all Americans identified as mean people who try to insult others. It is sad that people will bully others for something that is part of who they are, but you can't let labels define you."

Q: Within the African American culture, have you seen or heard of bullying based on someone not fitting into a stereotype?

Jovanie: “On a first hand account, there is bullying within the culture based on stereotypes. If your not educated, you are brought down strongly as to who you are as a person and if you are dressed a certain way, people quickly assume you will act a certain way. Something as simple as speaking proper English and carrying yourself a certain way often times quickly makes people within the culture judge you as "white". I remember always speaking properly and because of me being an African American girl with this way of talking, people would say I'm trying to be a "Caucasian" female or label me as a "white girl”.”

Q: Name something or someone that makes you proud to be a part of the African American culture.

Jovanie: "Nikki Giovanni is an absolutely amazing person that continues to display beautiful character though her works of poetry and standing up for others as an activist. She makes me proud as a young African American female because she lets know that there is success down the line and you should always hold hope and love strongly in your heart because we must all love each other to better one another. There are always battles but they can always teach something for everyone to better themselves.”

Q: What is some advice you would give to other African American youth who may be struggling with their identities?

Jovanie: “My greatest advice to African American youth is that it doesn't matter what you look like, what you walk like, or what you talk like, you are your own enemy and you must learn to love yourself first before you can love someone else. Only every use the words of others to change you for the better. I say this because its often easy to hurt ourselves and judge ourselves as well as others.”

Black History Month Interview Series Jovanie Smith

A Spotlight on Students Making a Difference in their CommunitiesAn Interview series with Liz Westphal

Q: What are some things you've done to give back to your community, and what do you suggest to other young people who want to get involved?

Jovanie: “I've given back to my community by participating in care days as a member of Comcast Digital Connectors to create food boxes to provide them to the less fortunate and also help to restore a local church. I've also been able to help young children improve their reading skills through a summer reading program I helped to create.”

Q: Why is Black History Month still important in 2015? Does your school do anything to commemorate it?

Jovanie: “Black History Month is still important because African Americans have come from a long line of struggles within America and they had to fight many battles to gain status as respectable human beings. Everything that they have come to accomplish today was through utmost dedication and hard work. My school often celebrates through commemorating a person that helped to change our history and posting posters around school acknowledging important people from the past and present.”

Q: What is your background?

Jovanie: “My family background is one that is filled with Jamaicans but a splash of Scottish due to my lovely great grandmother. I first came to America when I was about four years old and I was quickly exposed to a different atmosphere. Today. my family is all across the United States, Canada, and various different islands.”

What are some struggles you feel youth of color still face today?

Jovanie: “Sadly, black youth still face the struggles of quick judgement and doubt of acceptance within America. Often times, they find themselves working harder than the next person to receive a quarter of what someone else can get with no troubles just because of their skin color. Sometimes they are placed into stereotypes that leaves them no room to change the opinion of others and they face this on a day to day judgement. These placements sometimes put them in the position of belittling themselves and starting to listen to the bad judgment of others.”

Q: Are there any African American role models in your life or in history that have significantly impacted your life path or choices?

Jovanie: “Oprah Winfrey has probably taught me one of the greatest lessons that I could have ever learned and it is to always be caring, patient, and respectful of others. She made me understand that you have to speak to your inner self and always be willing to help because being alone can only take you so far in the world.”