As we get further into Black History Month, here are some words of encouragement:
“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” – Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut
Pierce Thompson is a 1st year, 5 year Masters Business Administration (MBA) major from Chicago, IL. He is a bright and intelligent young man who is a member of the Student Union Board and Professional Closet. In his free time, he enjoys playing instruments such as the piano, alto sax, electric guitar, and trumpet to name a few. Pierce also loves making recreational music and traveling. Upon graduation, Pierce looks forward to traveling the world.
HC: What ultimately made you decide that Hampton University was the school for you?
PT: When I visited during honors visitation weekend I received a very comforting feeling and I knew that this school was the one for me.
HC: How has your freshman experience been so far?
PT: So far it’s ok… Borderline ok. Nothing too spectacular, but nothing bad.
HC: Do you feel your experience is due to Hampton’s cancellation of social events/activities?
PT: Oh definitely!
HC: What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself or about college since last semester?
PT: I’ve learned that not everyone has been raised the same and everyone hasn’t been brought up to think the same. Common sense isn’t so common. What may be common sense to you may not be to someone else.
HC: Black History Month is, of course, one of the many great things celebrated at an HBCU, but how does it feel to attend a University full of so much love for knowledge, history, and blackness?
PT: Endearing. I feel proud to attend an HBCU where everyone loves to learn and isn’t scared to represent their blackness. It’s nice to see other people who look like me and have similar obstacles as I strive for greatness.
HC: What do you love about being a young black man?
PT: EVERYTHING! I love how it’s not easy being a young black man because you have so many obstacles in your life and a lot of statistics going against you. It’s kind of cool to overcome them and just prove the statistics wrong.
HC: What characteristics do you love that black women obtain?
PT: They’re very strong-willed and don’t back down from anything.
HC: What are some difficulties you experience being a young Black male in America, especially living in Chicago?
PT: Being depicted as a stereotype, despite who I am as a person people just see what’s on the outside most of the time.
HC: Have you ever been put into a black male stereotype?
PT: Definitely! If I’m at the mall or at any public place really, they’re people following me around the store or all eyes on me. Even if I’m walking by a female with a purse they’ll clutch onto their purse more. Just those kinds of things.
HC: What would be your advice to someone trying to fight black stereotypes in America today?
PT: My advice would be to stay strong and at the end of the day if you’re doing great than people won’t really have anything to say to you, they can’t categorize you in a negative way. Don’t let stereotypes put you in a bad mental state or put you down.
HC: After watching the first episode of the new series “The Chi” on Showtime, what are your thoughts and do you think it is a true representation of Chicago and how “bad” the city is deemed to be?
PT: The first episode was actually good. I liked it, they didn’t overplay the violence and ignorance on Chicago. I do think it was pretty accurate. They touched on both the good and bad parts of it, they didn’t just focus on the killing part.
HC: Were you ever ashamed or embarrassed of being black?
PT: When I was little I actually was because I went to a pretty diverse school in the downtown area of Chicago and all my friends were white and then you could just see all the other black people around and I wouldn’t really hang out with them when I was little.
HC: When did you realize or grow to accept that you were black and proud?
PT: Around 7th or 8th grade is when I would say I became black and proud. When I transferred to a predominantly black school I got to be around more people that look like me. I got to learn more about my culture and our history.
HC: If there was something you could change about yourself what would it be?
PT: I would probably put myself out there now, take more chances, stop being so lazy, and stop being so much of a procrastinator. I would try to think more positive because I’m more of a pessimist so I would try and be more optimistic.