Hanna Agbanrin

On November 20, Rodney Reed, an African-American man, will be executed by the state of Texas. He was wrongfully accused of raping and murdering a white woman and tried by an all-white jury. He has been on death row for 21 years, which corresponds to the lifetime of a graduating college student. Numerous pieces of evidence point to his innocence, including witness testimonies and forensic evidence. However, the state of Texas will neither accept those new pieces of evidence, nor will it test the murder weapon for DNA. As Columbia students, we believe we have a duty to act and support the Reed Justice Initiative.

I used to love going to the airport. It used to be the prelude to an adventure novel. I was embarking on the Airbus A380 to a pirate’s island; readying myself for a scavenger hunt in the dreamy Abomey, Benin; preparing for a historical trip to see the wonders of Turkey; or flying across the Atlantic to the city that never sleeps.

I closed Americanah three years ago. It was my first time reading a novel in which I could see myself through the main character. Just like the protagonist Ifemelu, I had struggled with my kinky, untamable, and frankly, impossible hair. Just like Ifemelu, I had been subjected to microaggressions from my peers. And just like Ifemelu, though I didn’t know it back then, I would also set foot in the United States three years later.