For much of my life, the way I carry myself has given me numerous compliments, raised questions in individuals, and even made some people mad. My father once told me that when he passes away, he wishes he could come back as me. Who am I? Society has given it a name. Blerd. Blerd is the combination of being both black and a nerd. This Blerd is a cultural instinct that is popular in many communities and not so popular in some. Blerd is not a label.

Blerds typically like critically-acclaimed movies over the ones that blow up the theaters, skateboarding, old music, and Kung fu culture. I honestly like or have liked all of the things listed. I wouldn't say I'm apart of the Blerd culture fully, but that culture has helped me explain who I've known myself to be for so long.

All my life, I've been able to conduct myself in different cultural situations, regardless of what my ethnicity is. This does not make me a sell-out or an Uncle Tom of sorts; this simply makes me Nequa London Olawumi.

Why am I writing this? There are plenty of people like me in the world that are so confused by how to act according to what society throws at them. There were times I'd look at myself in the mirror and wonder why I liked making good grades. Later on, I'd look in that same mirror and ask myself why I associated wanting to excel in school with something that is not of my race.

Blerds or blerd-like people have all delt with the same issues that different cultures of people just won't see. I've been told countless times that I am well-spoken. Sounds like a compliment, right? But why should that be a compliment to me? Society has taken my appearance and associated it with a failure to grasp basic English.

My appearance.

Oh, my appearence.

I've spent time in the projects as a straight-A student, but I look like everyone else. I've played vulgar music very loudly around $500,000 homes. What culture does London want to be? I'm allowed to venture out into different "cultures" as we call them. We've been given stereotypical labels based on our appearance. I'm just me, and this what so many "blerds" have faced.

When you see me or anyone like me, I want you to see an intelligent black person regardless of the music that I listen to or the side of town that I am from. My culture makes me happy, and my appearence shouldn't give you preconceived notions about who I am. If I'm too much of a thug for you or not much of a thug at all, you should still see that I am London, and that can't change.

I'm on my way to do big things, not because I can speak well, or because of the color of my skin. I'm on my way, because I am certain of who I am, and I cannot be shaken of that.

This is for the people that are looking from the outside at that person you call an "Oreo." This is for those who wish Queen and Kendrick Lamar would do a song together. This one is for those who admired Basquiat and Andy Warhol's relationship together.

I've always known who I was, but often times society robbed me of practicing who I wanted to be. If you are of Blerd Culture, be you, and never let that chokehold of society put you in a singular negative place. You're so much better than that.