To Be Black, Female, and Literate

         In modern day society people of color have always been the minority in the United States. The 'perfect picture' of an average American girl is a white, blonde haired, blue-eyed upperclass woman. When Leonie C. R. Smith (author of To Be Black, Female, and Literate:A personal Journey in Education and Alienation) moved to the United States she then realized that she was different and did not meet up to the characteristic standards of the American culture. In her short narrative about her life she expresses the daily struggle she endured as a Caribbean native living in New York. She quotes that being a woman of color, she happened to be the wrong shade or hue. The acceptable black woman are those with light brown skin, hazel eyes, and long hair. She speaks about the transition between being black, female, and literate in Antigua and the differences in America.
      In her native land she was notible for exceling in academics. In America her knowledge was put to the test when she didn't place as well as she expected on standardized tests. She was labeled illiterate and placed in classes well below her academic level. Smith worked hard to prove her literate capabilities and graduated fifth in a class of 500. As Smith began to get older and broaden her education she continued to endure racism. "I had a battle with the cancer of racism, sexism, and classism along with the ignorance of my identity in the culture of the United States."
      Smith quotes "Education we are told is the key that opens the imaginary door to success." What type of success? True enough she gained success in her education, but did she feel as if she succeded in her battle with the cancer of racism, sexism, and classism? Today this same 'battle' is still being fought and cure for this 'cancer' has not yet been found. We as literate women of color have to find success and confidence within, before we can accomplish anything in this society.