The value of a life can only be adequately defined by those who own it. So it is true that being true can only be defined by those who possess it. In the essay "A Conflict of Interest" by Zera Neale Hurston and the short story "It's Hard Enough Being Me" by Anna Lisa Raya, both authors illustrate what it means to be true to yourself. As well as what it means to not be true to yourself. In that case, being true to yourself means acquiring the maximum amount of self-interest to the best of your ability. The essay "A Conflict of Interest" by Zera Neale Hurston; a writer of segregation. It is an essay written from the perspective of an African American woman. In Washington, DC in 1942. The essay is about a black man who walks into a whites-only barbershop asking for someone to cut his hair. The barbershop is staffed by all black employees. Mr. Banks, the owner refuses to cut the negro's hair. He says, "I don't know how to cut your hair... I was trained on straight hair. Nobody here knows how." (Hurston 1293) Referring to the fact that the black man's hair is curly, but actually implying that he does not want to cut a black man's hair. Instead the black man persists in getting his hair cut at that particular barbershop. Finally everyone, tired of the scene he was making, gathered together. Whites and blacks worked together to throw the black man out of the barbershop. Houston; a black woman also wanted the black man to leave the store because his presence created a threat to her business. "He was one of us. Maybe it would have been nice if Banks had turned to the crowded store and announced that this man would be served like everyone else." (Hurston 1294) Hurston admits that a rebellion against Jim Crow laws could happen… midway through the paper… it really does. “I have to be a politically and socially aware Latina, with a chip on my shoulder, because of how repressed I am in this country…I am a quintessential imperfect Latina.” (Raya 1041) Eventually Raya later becomes true to herself when she realizes that she is herself and no one else. And she shouldn't be looking for approval from anyone but herself. Overall, both authors Zora Neale Hurston and Anna Lisa Raya become the epiphany of being true to yourself. Although they reach understanding at different stages of their life. Hurston, almost immediately after the accident, chooses the side that would benefit her the most. Raya must go through years of self-discovery before she understands what it means to be truly true to herself. Everyone goes on a journey of self-discovery. it is also a person's responsibility to understand what honestly defines them.