I am so tired of bringing up race and to hear the words "I am color blind" flow out of peoples mouths as if though they aren't lava. Being color blind is not a good thing. I am brown. My parents are brown. When you look at me and decide to deny that, you essentially strip a piece of my identity.

Being Colorblind Isn't A Compliment

Brown eyes.

They show me how others see me in the light of day.

They remind my parents of the colors of back home.

But they remind you of mud and dirt.

Brown curly hair.

It draws on the attention of everyone when its let down.

It is as if a lions mane is erupting from my skull.

Yeah, it may be majestic to me but I know you see a lion behind my curls.

Brown skin.

It draws me to color in rooms void of it.

It makes me stand out every time I step into a room.

Yet, you are color blind.

Those are the first words to escape your mind when you see me.

You see me and suddenly you can no longer see me.

Why do you refuse to acknowledge the skin I live in daily?

My skin causes happiness and it causes fear.

Why are your eyes void of color when they lay eyes on me?

I do not want you to be color blind when you catch sight of my melanin.

I do not want you to erase my history nor my culture.

My parents didn't cross borders to hear someone say they don't see me.

I did not break norms to be the same.

My family didn't sacrifice their lives for your ignorance.

Seeing my brown skin is not a bad thing

How you react to it is what makes it bad