By Mickenson Toussaint | Opinion
Couldn’t get a driver’s license till I was 17 because mama feared I’d be the next Trayvon Martin
Can’t go anywhere, can’t do anything without heads turning and eye prying
My ancestors fought so hard and here we are, so close yet so far
I wish I can travel anywhere and do as I please without being judged
But in my reality, I’m much safer at home, with a neighbor of the same complexion who owns guns and sales drugs
I wish I were able to believe I’d have the same opportunities as the majority, maybe even one day having my own company to manage
But just like my mama once said to me, I need to work twice as hard because my skin color already puts me at a great disadvantage
I wish they could really see how much my brethren and I bring to the table, A culture we could have shared
But instead they insist on pushing us aside, like dogs at the edge of the table waiting for food that’ll never be spared
I wish I can walk in a store without being followed, speak the way I speak without being deemed unintelligent, wear my hair naturally without fear of unemployment
But in truth this is our society,
A society where the pigmentation your skin comes before anything
A society where my intellect, my mannerism, my very being means nothing
But they will never break us, they will never strike fear into our eyes
Because even still, we fight
Even with prejudice and discrimination running rampant through the streets,
Even with Death sitting on the porch of all my fellow black brothers and sisters
Even as society treats us like nothing more than rotting meat left to decay
We are proud of our heritage, we are proud of culture, we are proud of our blackness and we will never wish for that to wash away
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