Kevin Steele

Throughout my life I’ve always seemed to maintain from any serious trouble; therefore I was dumbfounded when I first came across W.E.B. Dubois’ question, “How does it feel to be the problem?” By reading and analyzing Dubois’ first chapter in The Souls of Black Folks I realized the issue I encountered was an innate “problem” of double citizenship. After contemplating Dubois’ idea of my two separate identities I was confused about its effect on my current life and future goals.
Despite much reading and reflection it wasn’t until January 20, 2009 standing in the unfamiliar, frigid temperatures in our nation’s capital, when my two identities converged. I was suddenly rushed with the warm revelation that no task or dream was unattainable. Here I was witnessing the first African-American to be inaugurated as the President of the United States of America and I contemplatively asked myself, “Why not me?” “Why can’t I be speaking at that podium?” From this experience American ideals such as hard work and determination began to take over my educational mindset, while Black attributes such as persistency and audacity complemented this attitude.
By highlighting the positive aspects of both citizenships I realize I can’t abandon either identity because they are beneficial to each other. As Dubois eloquently communicates, I can’t Africanize my American citizenship because it has too much to offer the world; on the other hand I can’t bleach my Negro soul because that soul too has a message for the world. I’ve come to appreciate my dual-citizenship, seeing it as a blessing to experience and express two different cultures. To answer the original question, “How does it feel to be the problem?” I respond, “It feels magnificent.”