Origins

“My global perspective, curiosity about different cultures, and passion for understanding complex systems were inspired by a Mayflower simulation in my second-grade class. My second-grade teacher, Mrs. Murphy, passed out our ‘vitals’, which read ‘beef jerky’ to mimic the harsh conditions the travelers endured on their route towards religious freedom in the Americas. While we noshed on Slim Jims and admired each other’s frilly fifteenth-century costumes, I watched my white peers get excited about recreating similar travel accounts comparable to their families’ Ellis Island treks. I knew I was the descendant of enslaved peoples who, too, had harsh conditions, endured a treacherous, and sometimes multiple Atlantic passages.Yet, the silencing of the diverse passages across the Atlantic and attempted erasures of these histories – even as a child compelled me to continue to ask: “What other stories am I missing?”

– Mariah A-K Bender