SYNERGY 2020- A Collaborative Guide to Economic Discovery

Page 38

38

SPOTLIGHTS

$500 and

Story by: Xoe Miller

5 years later I

never knew that I was different.

Zoey but with an “X”, and I legally

time, and my grandma would make us

To me, all families looked the way

changed my full name a year ago. I

delicious meals and all the desserts

mine did. I was five years old. How

grew up with two younger brothers,

you can think of. She’d spend a week

was I supposed to know that being

now 20 and 17, and a single mother

preparing for us and would plan our

a biracial child in an all white family

who served 20 years in the United

entire holiday there. For Christmas

wasn’t normal? How could I know

States Navy. My family has always

she’d have a stack of newspapers and

that people would see me as a threat?

played a big role in my life. When we

magazines that she had been saving for

Then again, I’d like to think why would

were kids, my mom used to wake us up

the last few weeks. One by one she’d

anyone think of such things in the

at 3 a.m. and we would drive 12 hours

call my brothers and I into the dining

first place? Nonetheless, I grew up in

to visit my grandparents in Florida for

room and would have us pick out our

a loving and accepting family, even

the holidays. She said it was the easiest

gifts for each other. Then one by one

though as I grew older I soon found out

way for her to travel, because we’d

she’d take us to the store to get the

that the world wasn’t so thrilled.

sleep most of the time. We’d always

toys we picked and would help us to

My name is Xoe, pronounced like

make it to my grandparents by dinner

wrap them. Pop-Pop would take us out

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