Char Braxton Claims Her Power
“You’re not college material,” a Madison high school guidance counselor told Char Braxton, and she believed it at first. She recalls the pain: “I can remember those words banging off the walls and ceiling, shooting straight at my heart and ripping it open. I remember at graduation, everyone throwing their caps up in the air and talking about the colleges that they were going to go to. Those words from my counselor saying ‘You’re not college material’ just hurt me deeply. I was consumed with darkness; I felt hollow inside, disconnected and nonexistent, my dream shredded.”
But years later, Braxton discovered Odyssey. She saw a flyer at the South Madison Library that said, “Start your journey to college for free.” She applied for one of the coveted 30 spots and completed the two-semester evening humanities program in 2006, earning her first six UW-Madison credits.
Braxton remembers, “The UW Odyssey Project helped my voice resonate and kept me alive. The impact of the program goes beyond the words of this page. I was introduced to black and brown literature that captivated my personal power to unthaw frozen thoughts of pain. I could write, think, and compose poetry. My existence as a black woman mattered, and the director, Emily Auerbach, encouraged me to get my degree. Students from every cultural background surrounded me. Food provided before class helped to feed me. Students who needed childcare had their needs met. I loved reading and writing about Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, Frida Kahlo, and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. But most of all, the Odyssey Project gave me love, determination, and confidence.”
After graduating from the Odyssey Project, Braxton earned a Liberal Arts associate’s degree and many honors from Madison College. Her story about being told she wasn’t college material was recorded in an interview for StoryCorps for the Library of Congress. She also won poetry and storytelling contests and gave presentations to writers’ groups, for the YWCA Racial Justice conference, and for medical students studying the impact of poverty on health care. She was featured in a cover story in On Wisconsin Magazine called “Finding a Voice, Against All Odds,” inspiring hundreds of thousands of readers around the world.
Not college material? Hardly! Braxton was accepted to the UW-Madison, where she currently is majoring in Chinese and Creative Writing. Last summer, Braxton became the first Odyssey graduate accepted into UW’s Study Abroad program. “I can’t believe my dream is actually coming true!” she said as she flew out of the country for the first time in her life.
In a poem a few years ago called “Crossing the Ocean,” Braxton invited that disparaging guidance counselor to come to China with her:
Odyssey created a passion in me: learn — read — write and be strong! Humanities — I am transformed.
我正在上中文大学课程. Wǒ zhèngzài shàng zhōngwén dàxué kèchéng. I am taking Chinese college courses. One day, I will travel to China!
Dear Mr. Guidance Counselor — I invite you to come with me. Set sail — release anger — the fortunes of forgiveness. Let’s journey together!
While in China, Braxton earned more UW-Madison credits and took photos along the way. One of her photographs (showing her in a field of rice) won an award from UW’s International Studies Program. Braxton treasured her time in China, noting how curious but friendly the people of Shanghai were towards an African American woman in their midst. Eventually, she hopes to return to China and teach English there.
Writing remains a passion for Braxton. She notes, “My life has been filled with darkness, hope, and centuries of racial disparities. I love to write, create, and make positive decisions that uplift people out of systematic poverty. Most importantly, I want to give them tools to obtain an education and promote personal growth and live a life of endless possibilities. I want to continue to use my words to share my journey.”
In addition to volunteering in the community, Braxton now is part of the Odyssey staff as a classroom assistant and ambassador. She encourages each cohort of new students, noting, “My story will show other Odyssey students that they can achieve their dreams no matter what obstacles they endure. Odyssey is an extended family of investing in new discoveries and love!” Braxton convinced her mother, Bea Chatman, to join Odyssey Senior and share her memories of her early years in Madison.
Some days, Braxton says she has trouble believing just how far she has come and how much she has overcome: “Looking back to when I was in grade school, when I was called the “n” word, spit at, and hit because of my dark skin, I realized that the school that was supposed to protect me had let me down. Today, as I look out my window at my disconnected community, listen to the news, and watch world leaders struggle, I feel numb, betrayed, and fearful—just as I did when facing those traumas of my grade school years. But I will not give up. I already have changed the impossible to possible by reinventing myself.”
Braxton looks forward to completing the final semesters of her bachelor’s degree and to being inducted into UW-Madison’s Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in the spring. “Look where I am because of Odyssey!” she exclaims. “Odyssey made me feel like a human being, that I existed on Earth, and that I had a purpose!”
