Good news Sinclair community. It is finally the end of the school semester and with summer in our sights, it’s time to get done with our final exams and head to the pool. Fun and relaxation is just around the corner for those of us who don’t choose to take summer classes.
It’s a fun time of the year but there is a bittersweetness to it all. These bittersweet feelings come when you have to say goodbye to friends and professors, especially the ones who have really made you think and open your mind over the semester.
For me, this person would be Dr. Boikai Twe. Dr. Twe is an African American studies professor who originally hails from Africa. He has been an incredible fixture on Sinclair’s campus for a number of years.
He has started or help started multiple programs/groups for the African American population on campus. This will be one of his last semesters teaching at Sinclair, as he plans to head home back in December.
Sinclair is losing a professor who has inspired countless minds while lighting a fire for change and reform when it comes to equality. I was lucky enough to be apart of his African American studies class.
I really enjoy African American studies. As an African American male sometimes I feel like I don’t know my true identity. It’s hard when you’re shown what the media portrays you to be, what society thinks of you, what your family hopes you’ll be and having all those sides try to instill in you.
To have a true sense of self is hard and I find hearing about the struggles of people who could be related to me puts things in a perspective that helps guide me to form my own self-image. I was always sheltered and protected from much of the African American culture growing up. My mother being Jamaican tries to instill Jamaican values and traits in me. It wasn’t until this class that I truly saw how sheltered I was.
Dr. Twe’s class affected me in ways I never would have expected. I find myself looking closer into history or stories reported when it is regarding minorities. I’ve found myself trying to learn more about everything so that I am one of the ten percent that tries to think for themselves and not one of the ninety percent that blindly follows.
After taking this class, I can see how and why Dr. Twe has inspired so many. We will miss you Dr. Twe and we wish you safe travels.
To everyone else in the Sinclair community, have a great summer! Relax, enjoy yourselves and see you in three months for fall semester so we can do this whole education thing all over again! Have a happy summer!
Justin A. Baker
Staff Writer