• Storying Youth Work

  My Yute- My bleeding empathy for the Black Diaspora Youth.

  Posted by Rahma on September 23, 2025 at 3:10 pm

  What does this have to do with Youth Work? You might wonder from the title. I wasn’t aware myself that Youth Work was what I was doing after I completed my undergraduate studies in maybe the most colorless, depressing, uninspiring winter of my life—December 2022. It had been five years since I left home and had not returned… I digress. The winter was brutal; rural Ontario is brutal. Being Black in rural Ontario is having to question whether you are literally invisible or human.

  As an African, I storytell by digressing.

  As the ancestors would say: “Allow me. Let me land.”

  It was my first time ever in my life going to a makeshift slaughterhouse for my forensic science practice exam. Of course, I was the only Black person. Do not ever call me BIPOC—but that population was not there either. The instructor quickly affirmed that it was indeed just goat blood and horse hair in the makeshift crime scenes we had to examine, wished us good luck, and split us into groups. Before I knew it, we were hopping into our bunny suits in our assigned groups. My crew quickly gathered their notebooks and split themselves away from me.

  For a second, I had one of those moments where I had to check with myself and confirm: Is this actual reality? Did I do anything wrong? Do I smell bad? Do I look too fat in this bunny suit? Aye.

  Nonetheless, I gathered myself to re-engage. They all—I do not want to say acted—ignored me, looked at me, and moved further away while the instructor watched. I attempted nothing—I was left alone to do the group assignment in that smelly, dark, isolating slaughterhouse, emotionally and physically isolated even among my peers and prospective fellow graduates. The following week, I received my grades for my midterm: I averaged 27%, having scored a 0 in my group assignment. The instructor lectured me about my incompetency in front of the entire class. Seven weeks into my learning in Canada, I stopped attending school and failed my entire first semester. Unknowingly, that was my first taste of structural racism—prepared like a table before me by my peers, my instructor, and the institution. I was kicked out of the Forensic Science program. We need more Black people in Forensics. I am tired of this.

  I digress. After battling depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and other challenges—and changing my major four times—I landed in Sociology. For the first time, I reverted back to my heart. I am a ladden, maddened Social Scientist, repeatedly hit by waves of blatant oppression simply because I am an African woman, Black. This is my exhausting story.

  But four years later, I was able to advocate for students—Black students just like me. International, Canadian, hurt, grieving—my pain and grief turned into passion and boldness to advocate. Advocate for Nneka (alias), who was randomly kicked out of her room by her landlord at 3:00 am because she had family coming over and could no longer keep her lease. Or Reshawn, who I found crying outside a Chatime near campus because he swore four police cars had been following him all week—and I had to explain why. There is Mikayla, Adanna, Justine, Will. Of course, these are aliases, but I saw myself in them. None of us came from the same ethnic background, country, or faith.

  So I laid my life down and advocated for Black youth in student bodies, DEI offices, and through my platform, now resting as “Black in Ontario” with Black Lives Matter Nogojiwanong. I did advocacy to empower Black youth for two years—without a job, in horrible health, in ideation of not wanting to live.

  But I cannot help it when it comes to Black youth from everywhere, because I see myself, your younger sibling, your uncle, your mum.

  Why we hoard furniture. Why we keep frozen cooked meat in old ice cream containers.

  Unspoken things that have journeyed me here as a Youth Engagement Lead at YouthREX, doing exactly what my pain turned into—purpose. Centering Black youth.

  I have empathy—infinitely—for Black youth.

  
  

  • This discussion was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by  Rahma Kiongozi.
  • This discussion was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by  REX Virtual Cafe.

  Rahma replied 2 weeks, 6 days ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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