Only black woman in my African History course

Hi, everyone! I’ve been feeling a bit conflicted about a course I’m taking.

I’m currently enrolled in an African History course at a well-regarded university. The content has been fantastic so far and I’m genuinely enjoying the material. However, I’m struggling with being the only black woman in the entire class. There’s one other black student, a guy, but other than that, everyone else is white or non-black. The main professor is white, although we do have an African professor involved, which has been a bit of a relief.

The course is pretty critical, which means we’re frequently discussing colonialist views and the Western perspective that portrayed Africans as “inferior.” Sitting in a room full of white classmates discussing these topics has felt strange—like being back in high school, where I was often the only black student in history class. It makes me feel so hyper-visible, which has been uncomfortable at times.

One of the reasons I chose this course was the hope of connecting with other Black students who shared similar interests, so it’s been disappointing in that regard. I’m not planning to drop the course, but I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience/advice?