For Renita Alexander, playing the piano has always been more than a hobby.
A melodious symphony, reciting what she learned from memory as a child growing up in Oakland, Alexander has a gift. But a crescendo of voices in her head saying "nobody cares" and "I'm not good enough" played throughout her mind after experiencing what she described as prejudice and racism.
Despite the obstacles, she continued playing.
One of the defining moments came in 1980 when she represented California as one of three finalists in a nationwide competition associated with Liberace.
"I knew I had won," she said.
"My music teacher was there and she went to the judges, and she argued with them," Alexander said. "She demanded to see the scores and when you read the scores, it had me as number one, all three judges. But I didn't get it."
"I remember I didn't touch the piano for like a year," she said.
Looking back, she believes discrimination played a role in many of the setbacks she faced.
But rather than allow bitterness to define her life, Alexander focused on her faith and her family.
As a single mother, Alexander raised two sons who both went on to earn college degrees.
"She's had a lot of wrong done to her, a lot of injustice done to her," Brown said. "But my mom always turns around and does the right thing, and that's powerful for me and my brother to have as examples."
"I decided that I will raise my children not to hate, not to have prejudice," she said. "So I am proud of that. So out of that pain, something positive did come out of that."
If she could give advice to her younger self, Alexander said it would be simple: "Don't quit. Keep the faith."
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