The North Star with Shaun King

The North Star with Shaun King

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The North Star with Shaun King
The North Star with Shaun King
For Marginalized People: Why Do We Carry So Much Shame?
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For Marginalized People: Why Do We Carry So Much Shame?

We've all found ourselves dancing around the stereotypes others project onto us, but the emotional toll this takes can be enormous.

Mar 31, 2022
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The North Star with Shaun King
The North Star with Shaun King
For Marginalized People: Why Do We Carry So Much Shame?
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(via Getty Images)

As a Black kid in America, I understood at a strikingly young age that I was never going to be a “good” Black person - the one white people, whether consciously or subconsciously, wanted me to be. 

Anyone who is a part of a marginalized group knows this dance well, the balancing act of being who you are as a human being while trying not to (or sometimes, trying to) align with the stereotypes being projected onto you. It’s a slippery slope of staying true to yourself and avoiding harmful stereotypes, while also not judging those from your community who do fulfill whatever the stereotype is.

I’ll give an example. 

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