The first time I ever felt like the token and actually was the only or one of 2-3 colored people in the room was during my grad school interview at the university of georgia. The night before was a social for all the interviewees, existing students, and professors of the program at one of the professor's homes.
There were a couple asian students. 2-3 male students. There was a West African woman. I was the only nappy headed negro boy. The feeling I had was that blurred tunnel vision Mr. Krabs meme.
Probably the first time I ever intimately felt that I was a Black/Brown man.