The experience that changed my life:

I was 16, in a special summer arts program in Kentucky for talented teens. We all lived together on a college campus, in real dorms.

I had a new friend named Cindy. I was black and from the big city (Louisville) and she was white and from the backwoods. We hung out for a while and I noticed that she had some issues with things like African dance (she hated it) and black music. I figured it was time for her enlightenment.

Near the end of the program, we went to an amusement park where my friend, Marvin, worked. Marvin and I sat at a bench talking, eating fries and Cindy decided to join us. She asked for some of Marvin's fries and he was okay with it until she dug her fingers down deep into the bag. Marvin blew up, threw the fries on the floor and told Cindy he did not appreciate her putting her hands all over his food. Cindy apologized.

Later Cindy and her "gang" walked up to me and she looked hoppin' mad. She called Marvin a nigger. I had never let a white person call me or anyone else a nigger to my face and I was numb for about two hours. When we returned to the dorms, I confronted Cindy and we had an argument. Her point: Marvin disrespected her and that made him a nigger. My point: That Marvin acted like a jerk but he was not a nigger and when she called him one she called me one, too. She would not back down and I went ballistic. A bunch of people carried me away right before my fist reached her face (my first fight ever).

The consequences of that event were significant. Kids & staff took sides but no one sided with Cindy. She was cast out. She had been voted in to speak on the behalf of the visual arts group at the big showcase with the governor and after our battle she was replaced. I became a black power activist (for real) and a few years later took over the black student union in college (Brooklyn), changed the name and dedicated myself to fighting the Man. In my freshman year, I wrote a paper about the incident and presented it to my class.

"No matter who you are or what your age may be, if you want to achieve permanent, sustaining success, the motivation that will drive you toward that goal must come from within." - Ultramagnetic MCs