HBCU TIMES: You spoke about several personal struggles that seemingly presented roadblocks during your studies, particularly the deportation of a family member. What did that experience look like to you and how did JCSU help you through that ordeal? DAMARA: Like many resilient Smithites that I know, there are many experiences that radically change and shape the core of who we are and what we know. Dealing with the trauma of an incarcerated and then deported family member changes everything. Having a community at JCSU to help me navigate that experience made me a stronger, vulnerable human being. If JCSU taught my anything it is this: you cannot do it alone. You need a a community who loves you, cares for you, and will not judge you. HBCU TIMES: In 10 words or less what is ‘womanhood’ to you? DAMARA: I absolutely love the word WOMAN. Womanhood to me is this: Womanhood is the radical act of becoming liberated and loved. HBCU TIMES: Whether they’re from Oaxaca, Mexico, like yours or a blend of origins in the rural South and New York City like mine, there’s nothing like family. DAMARA: My immediate family is funny, loud, passionate, and forgiving. They have always supported me no matter what, and the reason I wake up every morning to grind. HBCU TIMES: As possibly the first or one of few DACA Dreamer Valedictorians in the university’s history, what did that trailblazing moment feel like to you as thousands applauded your bravery and resilience? DAMARA: Having my parents sit in the front row while I delivered my valedictorian speech was a moment of pride, because I did it for them. While I delivered my Valedictorian speech, I understood the deep privilege I had to get to that spot. I challenge people, and society, to not forget the battle of those who constantly resist oppression but will never make it to any ‘spotlight.” HBCU TIMES: What are your thoughts on the current political culture/climate and what that means for DACA Dreamers?
DAMARA: DACA was and is a bandaid to a much larger, complex issue that exists in the United States. Undocumented immigrants have been continuously let down by past and current administrations. Having DACA ensures that I can work legally and be protected from deportation, something Trump attempted to sabotage. Although he failed, he was successful in creating an anti-immigrant culture that was been revived his supporters. Hopefully we reach a future where our parents and loved ones are ALL equally protected and given proper work authorizations. I want stay hopeful. HBCU TIMES: How did Smith prepare you for what lies ahead on your journey and is there anyone who you’d like to thank? DAMARA: Johnson C. Smith taught me that being true to who you are will take you places. Becoming yourself takes a whole village. I had amazing mentors, classmates, and advisors who presented me with awesome opportunities. My psychology department was full of supportive professors who wanted to see me succeed, from Dr. Cooper who wrote me letters of recommendation, To Dr. Terrell and Dr. Greene who taught me research and helped me present at conferences, to Dr. Richard who introduced me to bell hooks- they all made a difference. Dr. Otienoburu, Dr. Hunt are also a few professors who helped me excel. HBCU TIMES: What’s next for Damara? DAMARA: I am currently a Teach for America Corp Member, teaching middle school science in the Greater Nashville Region! I absolutely love this work and more than ever, we need teachers of color. I will never forget the look on some of my student’s face when they found out I would be their science teacher- they had never had a Latinx teacher! In fact, some of them asked me why I wasn’t their Spanish teacher. Representation matters. I’m getting certified with Relay Graduate School of Education, where I will pursue a Masters in Education. I see my future work involving educational policy and equity.
The ceremonial turning the tassel from one side to the other seems to signify turning another page in one’s life. For me not only was it symbolic, but it was also prophetic. Fifteen years earlier, my maternal grandmother was right there in the stands and that warm Spring day there she was again almost in the same spot, waving, cheering and smiling and still taking pictures with a throwback disposal polaroid. This time however, my son was there sitting right beside her. Benjamin was able to see his mom through a wider lense. For him he said, I wasn’t just a woman who takes care of him, gives him hugs, checks his homework, disciplines him and wipes his face with the ever pleasant saliva. He was able to witness what fortitute looked like whether it was through the now silver hair of his great-grandmother or me solely bearing the torch for my graduating class or the passion in which Damara spoke about never giving up on your dreams. Damara’s name has greek roots and means “gentle,” but she’s a fighter. Isn’t that how we should be? A gentle fighter emerging from a family, a community, a HBCU that believes in your right to dream and see it become a reality. For anyone who feels like the odds are against them, Damara leaves you with this: “There is power in your community. Hay poder en tu comunidad.”
As I sat on the floor on the Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, May 20 listening to Damara’s story of hope and forward movement, I remember repeatedly glancing up at my 82-year-old grandmother Alice and then 11-year-old son Benjamin in the stands recalling that feeling when I turned my tassel.
HBCU Times Spring 2019
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