As kids and adolescents of mostly African-American and Latino descent we were always guided to prepare for a fight. There was always adversity. We were never told we could not do anything, in fact the opposite—we could do anything we wanted. Like the proverbial boy who cried wolf, we heard about adversity and the possibilities so often that we ceased to pay attention. School meant nothing and work was required for disposable income. Everywhere was that infernal cry: “No babies! No babies!”
We were minorities. Most of us didn’t give a shit. It was just the world we were placed into.