As a minority, I've always been a little self conscious of my perception in the newsroom. Throughout my collegiate career, I've always been the only African American around and it made me wonder what that meant. I was on school on a diversity scholarship, I was a student of a black journalism workshop in Kansas City and I didn't hide it on my resume. I'd often ask myself if I was here because of my skills as a journalist or because of my race.
Today, I heard a great quote during a presentation for the Sports Journalism Institute given by Dan Le Batard. The Cuban-American sportswriter said, “I don’t care why (they) open the door, as long as (they) open it.”
That struck a chord with me. It was the thing I've always felt, but never heard another minority say out loud. I can't complain about my race, the hardships it has caused pales in comparison to the doors it has opened. The fact that I'm about to be an intern at MLB.com through an institution focused on placing minority journalists is a testament to that. My race only helps open the door, it's up to me to keep it open.
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