Anetra Brown

Anetra Brown. Our Stories, Our Communities: UO Diversity Anetra Brown

Majored is in Sociology, minoring in Nonprofit Administration through the PPPM department. Class of 2015. Home is San Francisco, California but I now live in Eugene post-graduation so it feels a little more like home than before.

Community

My community at the University of Oregon was my teammates on Oregon’s Track & Field team, fellow members of the Black Student Union and Black Women of Achievement, supportive professors in the Sociology and PPPM departments, the Student Alumni Association, community mentors, and friendly faces around town.

Experiences

Eugene is the smallest town I have ever lived in and it was most definitely a culture shock. The top three things that surprised me when I moved to Eugene were:

  1. When I first moved here, it amazed me how much time would pass without seeing other people who looked like me.
  2. I could not find a beauty supply store that had the products I needed to take care of my hair.
  3. The grass was so green and the trees were so tall... I honestly thought they were fake until I touched them.  

Living in Eugene, as a student, had its ups and downs but I would not trade my experience for anything. In my 4 years as a Duck I learned so much about myself and what I am passionate about, which, inspired the work that I do now with a local nonprofit, my work on campus, and in the broader Eugene community. I grew tired of being complacent as I witnessed injustices happening in this community, the United States, and globally and developed a strong desire to play my part in the social justice movement. This has shaped who I am, what I value, and my future career. The opportunity to attend the University of Oregon with my twin sister, Ashlee, was a huge accomplishment for my family. College is life changing and I’m so grateful for the experience.