Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol.4 Issue 2

Makiyah Jones, a freshman majoring in psychology, said
religion wasn’t an option growing up.
“In the Black community, everybody’s a Christian, so it
was kind of like we were forced to go to church, forced
to read the bible, and my mother was very strict on it,”
Jones said. “She would play sermons in the morning when
we wake up, and I would be so irritated, but it was forced
upon you, like you had to do it no matter what.”
Arianna Pope, a freshman majoring in human development
and family studies, was raised within the church and
identifies as a member of the queer community, but fear
of rejection due to her identity kept her from coming out
to her immediate or church family.
“The first thing they would do is probably ask me to repent
and tell me a bunch of scriptures,” Pope said. “Basically,
tell me what I’m doing is wrong, and a couple people may
tell me to go to hell. Yeah, I might be shunned because
they are very judgy people. Even if you repent, they’ll still
hold it against you.”
Since leaving for college, Pope identifies as “spiritual”
rather than “religious” and said there is something out
there protecting her and her family.
Like Pope, Jones has also found her relationship with
religion. She identifies as a Christian and participates in a
student ministry organization on campus.
“I’m finding God on my own,” Jones said. “I feel like when I
was forced to do it, I didn’t want to do it, but when I found
it on my own, I actually love it.”
Arianna Pope is also a contributing columnist in Nineteen Fifty-
Six’s experience section.
“I’M FINDING GOD
ON MY OWN.”
-MAKIYAH JONES
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