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The Miseducation of My Race
Location
When you look into my eyes
What does you see?
You see a pitiable disposition
Suffering
Pain
Poverty
From the beginning of time
I have been marked “thing” or “animal”
Three fifths of a person
Society has been blind to my feats of strength
It has bolstered itself on a pedestal of decided ignorance
Choosing to shrug its shoulders at the idea that I could actual be worth more
More than 40 acres and a mule
More than a few cents a day
More than shallow concern
It neglects the fact that I am
Beautiful
Brilliant
Posses a mind of my own
It chooses to confine me to the vast continent “Africa”
Rather than acknowledge that I am eclectic
Stemming from the shores of Eygpt
And the beaches of Nigeria
I am not simply the “Feed the children” commercial
Nor do I own a frayed body and bulging eyes
My story is weaved into the tales of
Wole Soyinka
Chinua Achebe
Ms. Adichie
And the blood that was shed in countless civil wars
Yet, you choose to see me through one lens
The lens that blurs my true potential
And sharpens your ego
Even if you attempt to smother my identity
It will remain
Because I am the spawn of Africa
My skin is deep brown like pigmented earth
My heart beats with determination and purpose
Strength and freedom course through my veins
I am not “Toby”
Nor am I a primitive booty scratcher
I am not “The heart of darkness” as Joseph Conrad perceived
Rather the western world has been clouded with darkness
With scales covering its eyes
Blinding it to my true identity
Here is the truth
I am and always will be
Africana
Not just the “nappy hair” or the chocolate colored skin
But the race that stands strong in adversity
Whose back is accustomed to bending backwards and doing hard work
I am not just black
I am gold