As a Black woman and African American, my identity has been shaped by my race, gender, and my southern roots in the United States. It is also informed by the historical and current oppression experienced by Black people in my home country. Over the past few years, I have traveled to several countries and added a layer to my identity that I do not often think about, which is my nationality. What does being an academic from the United States in the global health space mean? I must admit is a weird feeling of privilege. It is similar to the privilege I experience now as a professor and a person with a PhD. It is a lot to process as a first-generation academic and international traveler.
During my LEAD training this summer, I have started to process my identity as a professional who wants to center African people in research on the continent. One of the main things I have been processing this summer is how others perceive me and how I must navigate these different perceptions as an emerging global health scholar. In most cases, I am seen as American, from the United States first, which holds much power worldwide. People want to know your intentions and why you want to do research in Africa. At the same time, I have been warmly embraced by the Zulu people of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa as a Black woman and academic. However, that embrace is still informed by my United States privilege. This summer has been my introduction to global health, and it has also been an opportunity to reflect on how I fit in the global health context with shared experiences with African people on the continent as a member of the African diaspora, but with a different level of privilege in the world. These are things I will continue to reflect on as I start working with colleagues in South Africa on research related to gender-based violence and teen pregnancy.