What's in a Name?

Martin Poitier

Martin Poitier- Haitian-American ancestry; the older brother of Gracie Poitier, Martin is described as being a "low-key, shy kind of guy" who tends to keep to himself when at school. He is often laid-back and described as being relatively nerdy with his interest in video games and anime, being passionate about animation and a massive fan of various manga. A self-described "unlucky every dude", he considers himself the unattractive one among his male peers and is insecure about his dark skin color. He tends to feel self-conscious about his appearance and often feels unattractive to his female peers, whom he believes all want the "handsome, buff white knight in shining armor".  Martin's family emigrated to New York shortly before his birth, making him grow accustomed to the social barriers that can potentially arise in the city. He quickly developed an attraction to his white female classmate Kate Stojanovic that is often scorned upon by his family due to hesitation over his and Kate's differing racial and cultural backgrounds. Like his sister Gracie, he has poor vision, having developed a case of myopia in later years of his life and having a relatively high eyeglass prescription. As a dark-complexioned boy, his father tries to protect his son from potentially being hurt by what he often regards as the "ugly truths of life". Martin is deeply committed to winning Kate's affection however, despite his family's admonitions, and has followed her on social media. Although many of his black female counterparts disapproved of her, Martin felt charmed by her compassionate heart and had slowly become enamored by her inner beauty and hidden depths. He is a big fan of both Hip-hop and R&B, being a massive fan of Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, and Chance the Rapper, but considers country music to be his guilty pleasure, enjoying the messages in each song and being fond of Luke Bryan and George Strait. 

He is not very athletic and struggles to join in with his male peers in physical activities, causing him to not fit in particularly well with "the guys". Martin is somewhat of a homebody, preferring to stay in reading manga and looking for the latest anime show on the web, in addition to sending snapchats to his closest friends and watching YouTube videos on his phone. He is a year older than many of his peers in the sophomore class due to having been held back a year in the 4th grade and is mostly seen with his best friend Zeke Hutchins. Zeke is an equally unpopular, scraggly-haired white American boy whom is socially outcast among his peers and often rejected for his appearance, with his greasy shoulder-length brown hair and a skinny fat body that is described as having a slightly bulging belly. He is sociable, kindhearted, friendly, and takes having fun very seriously, using the word "tender" when he is feeling particularly good about himself. While he is prone to occasional lapses of ignorance and laziness, Martin consistently executes hallway schemes that improve the lives of him and his friends. In second grade, he invented the word "womps", which is what the kids of the playground use instead of "stinks" or "sucks" to describe an unpleasant situation or person. Despite being skinnier than his classmates, he is capable of pulling a few stunts, such as escaping detention by climbing either out the window or from the roof of the school a few times. His poor self-image lead him to eventually develop a form of anorexia at one point in his life once he becomes obsessed with his appearance and weight as a means of self-control upon trying out for and being rejected from the high school's basketball team. 

Described as being average height with a thin frame, Martin wears glasses and has dark brown eyes, a dark complexion, and coarse, afro-textured hair that he keeps buzzed down at the sides with a high fade. He also suffered from a form of internalized racism as he developed a subconscious prejudice toward those whom shared features similar to his own and tried to disassociate from the black community due to his discomfort with the negative labeling and stereotyping he received as a result of his complexion. A particular occurrence of this involves a racial profiling incident he experienced when visiting a local mall during a date with Kate due to a disturbance that was presumed to have been caused by another black male. He also had a nervously awkward and ungainly appearance as a child and adolescent with his wide-stance and lumbering walk, as well as his oversized glasses, which caused many people to joke he had a resemblance to a younger Chidi Anagonye. Martin has struggled with suicidal ideation in the past as a result of his depression, although his mother quickly discouraged this behavior and encouraged him to receive therapy to resolve his issues with self-identity. Many females claim he became somewhat "cuter" and more attractive in a boy-next-door sort of way by the time he reached college, during which he began to work out more frequently and received corrective eye surgery, in addition to experimenting with his hairstyle and making his appearance for fashionable. His perspective begins to change when he volunteers at the Beacon Street Women's Center, where he helps young girls of color feel empowered and embrace themselves confidently. 

He also worked part-time at the concessions stand and box office at the local movie theater as a teenager, although he went on to pursue a career in Civil Engineering after going to college. Martin later had a front desk job at the admissions office at Virginia Tech University, which he attended with his first girlfriend and later wife Kate Stojanovic. Although his and Kate's marriage culminated in divorce, they parted ways amicably and Martin continued to be actively involved in the life of his two children, a daughter named Jacinda and a son named Huey, and providing and helping them through college. Kate also continued to be friends with Martin and keep in touch with him throughout the years, considering him someone dear and precious in her life as the father of her children. He eventually moved to Delaware in order to further his career as a Civil Engineer and fell in love with a bespectacled, short and squat African American woman named Chenille with a dark skin tone who styled her natural hair in short, tight kinky curls. While she was not considered conventionally beautiful, Martin nonetheless found Lakeisha attractive and noticed she had her own unique charm with her warm personality and quiet confidence in herself, which encouraged him to see himself in a new, more positive light. He supported Chenille through her career as a Nurse Case Manager at the local Methodist hospital in Dover and eventually married her. He conceived a son with her they would name Thaddeus and found a new appreciation for the beauty of the black female as he empowered his new partner and had an enduring, happy married life with her. The two visit Jazz clubs together whenever they get the chance and enjoy spending their free time watching Netflix movies in their living room. ISFJ 6w5