My black was completely different there; I was not identified as black, but Brazilians saw me first as American. It was nothing like the United States, a place where I can always clearly feel my blackness. In a place where I am shown many opportunities equal to my white counterparts, it is yet so clear to see the not-so-visible divide that we create for our own. We as Americans still segregate ourselves even in a land where minorities are given more chances than Brazilians at better lives. Our barriers come not in the appearance of separate communities, jobs, or education like the physical divides in Brazil. Our cultural barriers are, however, existent. They exist in our minds, where even if we live similar lives there still exists a need to willingly separate ourselves from others that are not like us or share our culture.
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