Responsibility

Responsibility

As the eldest of four siblings and seven grandchildren, I was expected to model responsibility for myself and others in my behavior, school performance, personal choices, and ability to keep secrets. I need to clarify that I grew up with only one of my siblings, meeting my two youngest siblings many years later, but my younger cousins grew up in the same small community as my sister and me, and we were, for the most part, raised together collectively by our parents and grandparents.

The responsibility I felt regarding my behavior and performance at school: My role as the responsible good girl was expected, and, I admit, not too difficult a role for a pleaser, but I am also strong-willed and a bit of a rebel, so it has been tricky. I felt a responsibility to myself to be my authentic self and, at the same time to be the role model my family expected. I was the child that was the most obedient at home and school unless I felt an injustice was being done; my responsibility for the greater good overrode what my family and community expected of me. I felt responsible for defending my classmates who were bullied, but I also felt a responsibility to lead a peaceful protest against the shootings at Kent State, so in sixth grade, I wore a black armband to school and initiated a walk out of the cafeteria during lunchtime. Praised for defending bullies, threatened with suspension for the…