Seeing Myself Through New Eyes

 

Danielle Alcidas


Dr. Harris


African American Literature


01 March 2026


My major project is inspired by Their Eyes Were Watching God and focuses on how identity and 

race can feel invisible until the environment changes. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, as a 

Trinidadian and Haitian American, I never felt like race mattered. My neighborhood was diverse, 

my friends looked like me, and my culture blended into everyday life. I didn’t feel labeled or 

separated. I was unapologetically myself. Like Janie before she began questioning her identity, I 

existed comfortably inside a community that reflected me.


Everything shifted when I went to summer camp in Detroit, Michigan. For the first time, I was 

the only Black girl in a space of boys and girls. Suddenly, I felt hyperaware of my appearance, 

my hair, the food I ate compared to theirs, my culture, being the only one who had to wear swim 

caps on pool days to preserve my hair, and the way people saw me. Going from being the same 

race as everyone else to then being the only Black girl in a space and having no one that you can 

visually and culturally relate to made me realize race is a social construct, similar to Janie’s 

experience when she becomes conscious of her identity through the way others see her. Nothing 

about me changed, but the environment changed, and that difference created a new awareness.


My visual collage will reflect this realization. One side will show images representing Brooklyn 

and my culture, family, and community life. The other side will show imagery that represents 

isolation and self-awareness. Between these sides, I will place images of famous Black figures 

who also experienced moments when race shaped their identity or public perception, showing 

that this realization connects across Black history. Quotes from the novel about self-discovery 

and independence will be layered throughout the collage.


The goal of the collage is to show how identity is shaped by environment, perception, and 

belonging. Race is not always something we feel internally until society reflects it back to us. 

Like Janie, I learned that understanding yourself often happens when you step outside the 

comfort of familiarity. In conclusion, this project connects literature, history, and my own 

personal experience to show how the discovery of identity can be confusing, emotional, and 

overall empowering.

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