I do not deserve to be solely labeled as one of the Blacks

I am not an African American anyone can possess as his or hers to display as a misconstrued token of good faith again and again

My presence is not synonymous with the inner city

I will not be determined as the product, cause, or image of bad things

I am not lazy

I am not violent

I am not more likely to commit a crime

I am not successful because of affirmative action

I am not blind to the racial dynamics of this country

The ignorance

The resentment

The systematic inequality

I am not attaching my birth certificate

To prove that I belong in America

I have a lot to lose

Because

My life matters

I still believe in the dream in which one day I will be judged by the content of my character rather than the color of my skin