Opinion: I’m tired of being the token Black friend

A few years ago, I was having a conversation with friends over dinner and drinks. OK, mostly drinks. As we discussed our experiences working in theatre, I breezily made a joke about being the token Black performer time and time again. When my younger Black friend told me that she’d never had that experience — she had performed in productions with plenty of brown faces — I quickly fired back, taking a drag from my imaginary cigarette, “Well, I’ve made a career out of being a token. I paved the way for you so you didn’t have to be one!” While made in jest, it is a statement that has stayed with me in the almost five years since.