Messages sent and messages received

Napping in common areas was an important part of my college experience. Four years, hundreds of naps, countless people walking past me day in and day out, no telling how far out into the walkway my feet had dangled or how big a nuisance I was being.

I was never once asked if I was where I was supposed to be. And I sure never had to deal with the cops just because I was crashing in a corner, waiting in a coffee shop, listening to the radio, or taking a campus tour.

No one came to physical harm in these recent incidents. But these are daily reminders to young adults of color that they are not as valued, they are not as safe, and they are not as welcomed. We’re using our ill-gotten authority as white people to harass those who are doing *exactly* what we demand of them — going to college, working hard, starting businesses, and playing the game.

They’re messages sent and messages received. Someone is put in their racist place with the tiniest flex of our muscle.

Don’t tell me what these folks should’ve done — answered the nosy white lady’s questions, left when asked, groveled more to the college administrator. Instead, tell me that you’re not going to put people in these stupid, impossible, and cruel positions in the first place.