Dear World,
Another horrific moment in the African American community. A young black man being killed while jogging. And another young black man, who was in the military, killed by the police while being live on Facebook. Their names were Ahmaud Arbery and Sean Reed. There are other African American male and females who were victims of hate crimes and police brutalities. We see victims such as Trayvon Martin, Alton Sterling, Atatiana Jefferson, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and other victims of your world called America shows inequality and injustice.
America is supposed to be the land of the free and home of the brave. Yet, it doesn't reach the requirements for every American citizen. If you really want to know how I feel, my ancestors built this country, and you take us for granted. You are supposed to show the joy of diversity, and yet there is something that will keep you back. Its not you America, its your people. Some of your people want to stick to the status quo.
There are moments in my African American history where I truly believe that I am here for a reason. I'm here to be an example for the next generation to continue to press forward no matter what you look like. Yet, times like these makes me wonder if that same philosophy is right. Why? Because you give us stereotypes, and you assume the worst of what African Americans. Yet, the same stereotypes you give us, are the same people who have suffered through slavery and segregation. When we decide to fight back, you call us angry or unsophisticated. You call us out of who we truly are.
All I can say is that we refuse to stick to what you call us. Because people like Ahmaud Arbery and Sean Reed, we have the power to stand out and speak up to show you who we truly are. We are beautiful. We are fearless. But if anything, we are tired. We are tired of being in one category. We are tired of walking around our communities scared, and wondering if we will ever return home safely.
Yet, I might have to talk to my community. Talk about how we need to be better and not follow what people say about us, or assume who we are. Instead of sagging our pants, and dragging our bodies, let's be better. Not for ourselves, but for the generations to come. Let's be better, by uplifting each other, instead of fighting on the streets and posting it on social media. Think about it, we truly can be better, because we are from descendants of greatness.
So I say to America, don't put me in one stereotype, box, or assumption just because of the color of my skin. Look at me as someone who is willing to go beyond this distance. Someone who is willing to be better than my circumstances. All in all, someone who is my ancestors' wildest dreams.
