ABSTRACT
Forty students fill the small room at the beginning of the semester. The majority of them are young, but there are also a few returning students whose age range from early twenties to late fifties. There are an equal number of men and women. About a third of the class is Latino/Latina, there are two African-American students and the rest of the students are of European ancestry or mixed heritage. I tell them, “As I stand before you today, I am well aware that I might be the first and last African-American teacher or professor that you will ever have. I am representative not only of my own skills, knowledge, and teaching ability, I also serve as a representative of all people of African descent.”
