I stroll down the sidewalk of my school, I hear murmurs and whispers of my name,

"Why is her hair like that?" "Why is she so dark?".  Answer this: why are you hatin' on me, when I'm just trying to flex my complexion?

Does the braids of a black woman or her fro offends you in any way? I am here. I'm here for the black boys and girls who are told that you must be a 

lighter shade to be the epitome of beauty. To not have your hair kinky or nappy because it's too different from the rest.

Child, your skin was crafted from fine onyx and painted with ebony. Your hair is magnificent because it can take the shape from nappy to straight. 

The way we talk, the way we walk make us black folks who we are. Don't be a slave to what the media casts on society. They say we have to have 

a certain body type to be redeem as beautiful, that we have to have the perfect hair and smile. You wanna know what I say? I say

damn the man! Years ago if you told me that "Black Lives Matter", I would've told you that "All Lives Matter", but no. All lives do matter

but right now we are focusing on the black folks, where police sees us lower than the gum you stepping on. My brother and sisters are out there

fighting for our rights and freedom. The way I look and the way I dress shouldn't be anyone concern, but my own. I'm here because I believe 

that the movement I partake in can make a difference in this world, I want one day a black person can walk down the street without 

having to be scared that they'll be beaten up by the hands of the men that are suppose to protect us. 

I am a black girl. I experience rascim, I hear people tell me to my face that I will never be loved by anyone because the color of skin I have.

That I will not be able to go to college and that I am better stripping on poles or being a baby mama, but right now I'm here. Right now I'm here to

educate people on why the lives of Muslims, Hispanics, and blacks matter. For we are not seen the same way; society sees me as a menace, a thug or 

gangster and jobs won't hire me because of unique name because they find it "ghetto". There were times I felt like that I was better off dead than

going to a university. I don't want to be that person that people already knew that they'd turn on out bad, I wanna make a name for myself. We black 

folks were kings and queens decades ago and we still haven't left our rightful thrown, we are the embodiment of coal that is pressed hard enough

will become a diamond.