Senior finance student Isaac Alferos’ journey began his freshman year through the Male Success Initiative at CSUF when he read Between the World and Me, a novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book ignited Alferos’ passion for reading for the purpose of experiencing the liberating words that authors publish about the difficulties of racial injustice.

With the tumultuous summer of 2020 and the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others, Alferos found the book’s words supported his path to discovery.

“My anti-racism journey was coming to accept the reality that racism cannot confront: I have every right to exist as the fullness of who I am. In fact, I have a responsibility to do so. A responsibility to myself, my community, my ancestry,” says Alferos.

Through his year of self-healing, he has also served as the executive director of the Black + Brown healing project in addition to his own healing-based writing and research.

Read more about Alferos’ journey and watch his video here: http://news.fullerton.edu/2021/02/self-awareness-leads-to-personal-anti-racism-journey/