As a member of Black Generation X, I often find myself reflecting on the paths that were quietly laid out before me—paths shaped not by instructions, but by example. When I look back on my upbringing, what stands out most is not what I was told, but what I observed. No one ever sat me down and explained what I should aspire to. Instead, I grew up surrounded by people who simply lived their values. They showed me, rather than told me, what was possible. My earliest influences were my mother, her five brothers, my grandparents on both sides, and the extended family that framed my sense of normal. Both of my grandmothers went to college. All of my uncles went to college. My mother went to college and later earned a master’s degree. Four of my mother’s five brothers served in the military. My grandfather served. My uncle on my father’s side served. Education and service weren’t goals discussed out loud—they were just what people did. No one told me to go to college. No one told me to jo...
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