I am not your token black girl.
I am not mixed with half white or black mixtures,
That define my ethnicity.
I am not your play thing.
I am not your stereotypical black girl who wants to be white,
By any means.
Because I talk with stern dictions that edifies,
My native tongue of where I’ve been,
And knowing where I’ve come from.
A mother who was tear gassed,
And abused in the South,
Yet, still decided to stand by the Activist of,
Martin Luther King Jr, Maya Angelou, and The Black Panthers.
Who’ve serviced in advocacy to promote,
The actions that helped poverty in many communities,
Who’ve open the eyes of Blacks everywhere.
My father who was not served in many areas,
Of the National Capital,
That still determines to abuse its residents,
Based on racial profiling,
And no proof of description,
When we talk about justice,
There is none.
My family is the reason that I talk and I speak,
With good postures before I can stand up,
And face the racism of this sickening world.
Dealing with the stereotypes of black and white,
Knowing that if the whites accepts you,
They talk behind your back,
With fear of conviction,
And no backbone.
Being around your own culture,
Does not serve peace.
Knowing that if the blacks accept you,
You will be known as the girl who talks white,
Who has to fight physically and mentally,
That spiritually drains the individual inside.
Being told everyday you’re not black enough,
As your environment tells you how to act,
Which we were not made for,
Comprised areas,
That focuses on us to become monsters,
Angry at the world,
Ready to dog someone,
We were not made for these conditions.
I see intelligence in my own culture every day,
Black men and women,
Who are defined by the purpose of the media,
They can’t make the grade,
So they put us through bad public schooling,
And they wonder why we are doing poorly,
In Academics.
But when it comes to sports,
They teach us,
Train us,
Reward us,
With trophies that do not mean a thing.
They tell us you're not strong enough,
So we prove it with our gangs and guns,
If only we were taught to speak with our words,
It is stronger than any double edge sword,
And that’s how we stomp out the competition.
We are 11 percent of the world,
That is told we are overqualified,
Underqualified or,
My favorite, you lack the experience,
Yet, we keep dominating by creating more kids,
And fighting harder to make a living,
By taking any job with no complaining,
It is like they are settling for less,
And they are worth more.
Better to be an individual who is called the token black,
The same one who tries to defeat the barriers,
Who knows who they are as a person,
Who beats any stereotype or quota,
That challenges them to stay in an on going battle,
Not to prove a point,
And beat society,
But because they have the smarts.
To do so.
I expect this world to look pass racial differences,
And unite as one for the means of peace.
But we can’t have these things,
Because society keeps telling us,
Who we are,
And they tell others who they should be,
Plus feeding into the palms of those,
Who want to see you fail and never make it.
I am telling you that education is the key,
We were once farmers, business owners, billionaires,
We had our own stock markets, banks, owned homes,
We went to the finest colleges at the young age of 13,
And started our lives from there.
We did not relay on other cultures,
That helped build our foundation,
But we relayed on each other.
Now, we are turning away from our people,
Who could possibly save your life.
We face the issues of color,
Dark skin versus light skin,
Slave owners could figure out a way to separate us,
But, we should see ourselves as the Blacks,
Who were freed from slavery not to maintain,
The actions of which color is beautiful,
But we are like a rainbow,
Different shades of color,
Who cares if the person is lighter or darker?
We were made to be beautiful.
We were made to unite with one another.
As I see this general statement constantly,
Being said repeatedly,
It reminds you of what society,
Tells a culture what they need to be.
This does not have to be black or white,
It happens in the Asian, Indian, Arabic speaking, African, and European communities
Something that has clearly defined our societies,
Shaping our women and men,
Based on the trends of Culture.
We should be in the grey areas that does not define color,
Social, Political or Economic Environments,
But be the individual and decide for ourselves.
