Why Her Accent Became a Mask: The Immigrant Story
Growing up in Nigeria, Onyeka Azike wasn’t aware of others’ skin color or accent. When she won a coveted scholarship to attend college in the U.S., she was surprised, confused and disappointed that Americans were so preoccupied with the way she spoke English — her native language — and the color of her skin. How far would she go to feel like she belonged in her new country?
Why Her Accent Became a Mask
By Lisa Cohn
When Onyeka Azike journeyed from Nigeria to America to attend Portland’s Reed College, she believed she would fulfill a childhood dream.
She expected that she would benefit from a consistent education uninterrupted by teacher strikes, and she wouldn’t have to struggle with the daily hassles of pollution and loss of electricity in her hometown, Lagos–the most populous city not only in Nigeria, but in all of Africa.
But never did she expect that peers, strangers and even friends in America would be so preoccupied with her accent and skin color.
Read the story here: