You ask why we are so defiant, why we choose to go against the grain, why we choose to not listen and stick to the status quo. You charge us with being destructive, ruining our own lives, setting bad examples for our younger relatives, and bringing shame to our race, culture and communities. You call us less than, dismantle our dreams and aspirations and leave us to fend for ourselves. Well, no more.

Dear Generation X,

Thank you, but no thank you. The reason that we are the way we are is because a lot of you were too afraid to change the narrative yourselves. Once the civil rights movement came to an end and it seemed as if everything was on the up and up, you all forgot what had previously been fought for, our right to justice, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You became stagnant. You were content with the hand me downs, the dead end jobs and the government handouts. You thought you were doing well, therefore you neglected to teach us how important it was to do more than just get by. We assumed we were doing great.

So now you have us. We are rowdy, we are aggressive, and we challenge everything. Though it may seem as though most of us are lost, there are more of us working diligently to take our story back, then there are of us walking blindly. We decided to begin teaching ourselves who we are and with that came what we stand for, which could be called “no nonsense”. Your lack of guidance may have halted us, but believe me, it will never hinder us. It may take some longer than others, but nonetheless we are working. Stop focusing on the negativity and believe in our journey and our commitment to change. We want to make a difference, and we intend to.

Generation X and every other generation that neglected to do their job, thank you, but no thank you. Young men and women of my generation are not defiant, nor are we disrespectful, we simply picked up the ball and are running full speed ahead down the court. Instead of hogging the ball, we are passing it, ensuring that everyone gets a chance to feel the power they hold. You were supposed to teach us that our Blackness is a badge of honor. Why did you allow us to inflict upon ourselves hatred and negativity? You should have told us how important and majestic we were. You never told us how important it was to love ourselves. You never spoke life into our ambitions. You never showed us how to do it. So we found other avenues, no matter how destructive, we decided to try everything. But, there is no use in crying over burnt sweet potato pies, we are here, and we will rewrite the narrative that has been given to us.

I will not say you failed us, but you failed us… Love you all for doing what you could. You definitely provided for us physically, but our mental stimulation was neglected.

All in all, Generation X, thank you, but no thank you.

-One of the ones you should be rooting for.

Corey D. Smith