# data[].attributes.body
Is it how my afro coils that has you staring?
Or how my melinated skin glows in the sun that has you glaring?
Is it the stride in my walk or the slang that I talk that has you swearing?
My dark brown eyes make four with your blues. I wonder why you look so hard at me, I have no clue.
Your stares are silently judging my every step as I make my way towards my desk.
As their eyes turn away from me, alas.
I then remember, I am the only colored person in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
It’s so funny to see,

everyone doing too much,

but at the same time not enough.

They stare at my skin and constantly ask to touch my hair.

Even steal my culture and throw around the words we have reclaimed.

Always claiming they’re in full support,

but when the time comes to speak up and stand up for my community,

they’re suddenly silent.

Isn’t that hilarious?

All of them sitting in their privilege,

never having to deal with what I go though simply for the amount of melanin i possess.

I guess you can tell by now,
I am the only colored student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,
The rest think I'm too different,
To them coloured people might as well be a riddle,
One they cannot understand.
Once they walk Into the class,
I am the first thing they notice,
The little Black spot in the middle,
The answer to their riddle.
You would think they'd try to understand,
But they just look at me in disdain,
I can tell how they view me,
Like I'm an annoyin  little stain.
Some try to hide it,
Some don't,
They say they want to understand,
But they really dont.
I know what they see and think,
But it doesn't matter what they see,think,do or say,
Whether to them I'm just a spot or a nasty little stain,
I'm here and I'm here to stay.
~by Renaldo Samuels

# data[].attributes.body
Why does my darker skin fill them with disdain?
Or my curly hair give them pain?
Why does their blood boil when I walk bye?
Or their eyes water when I'm near by?
I haven't a clue why it makes them so mad!
I am the only coloured student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
My thick textured hair that bounces with every step
And my chocolate skin that glistens in the sunlight
I may not look like everyone else
For I am the only coloured person in my class
But that does not stop my soul from believing
That my black is beautiful

# data[].attributes.body
My tight curls bounce as I take my seat,
Discrimination and prejudice crawl from crevices underneath,
Isolation engulfs me as I think of my ancestors' past ,
When will the ignorance and hidden separation cease to last?
Then I remember that my pigment breaks up the blank space,
I am the only coloured student in my class, and my identity cannot be erased.

# data[].attributes.body
From beads, bubbles and bullies

My confidence drowned painfully,

Through the mirror I see a beautiful girl, rich with
melanin

But as I take a step through the classroom door that beautiful girl comes down crumbling

Scorn and disdain fills the room as I walk past

As I am the only coloured student in my class.
-Kadijah Martin

# data[].attributes.body
Martin's blood boiled red as his phone was confiscated

Lisa, down in the blues, as her longest nail had just broken

Green with envy was David at John's hundred average

Leah's cheeks flushed pink for her crush finally noticed her

But no one shared my dismay at the death of George Floyd

I guess it's clear, I am the only coloured student in my class

By Amanda Taylor

# data[].attributes.body
Sometimes I feel left out,
In situation I come last
And I notice without a doubt,
I am the only coloured student in my class
~ Peter Yee

# data[].attributes.body
A fake smile and laugh are my umbrellas in the rain
As each day I am met up with the same looks of disdain
If you just look past my colour you'll see that we're really all alike
Each of us trying to reach our goals; fighting each day and night
Surrounded by post-millennials that are all stuck in the past
As it stands, I am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
I often wish, I could enjoy life as others do
Go shopping with friends without thinking how my parents would pull through
Being recognized by my teacher when I make the effort in class
And not being burdened by the hurtful comments and rhetorical questions I'm asked
I guess being coloured doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races.

# data[].attributes.body
With a distant past,
I am the only coloured student in my class,
Having gone from place to place,
I know no face,
But when I was growing with sadness,
My classmates gave me everlasting happiness.

# data[].attributes.body
In my class I don't really fit in,
The reason why is because of my skin,
I am the only colored kid in my classroom,
A handsome chocolate face is what you see on zoom,
In the beginning I used to hate it,
But as I got wiser I now embrace it.

# data[].attributes.body
In my class I don't really fit in,
The reason why is because of my skin,
I am the only colored kid in the classroom,
A handsome chocolate face is what you see from zoom,
In the beginning I used to hate it,
But as I got wiser I now embrace it

# data[].attributes.body
With unpleasant, malevolent, crude eyes they stare,
They loathe the way I dress, or the way I wear my hair.
I overhear the snickers as I pass through the halls ,
I listen to the malicious things they utter about me in the bathroom stalls.
I slump in my chair , wishing the day would make haste and pass,
For I am the only colored student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
They throw their words that peirce like darts
Reopening wounds in my skin
Unwavering animosity in their hearts
Have I committed some great sin?
I sometimes wonder "How long will this bias last?"
But what can I do? I am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
I

# data[].attributes.body
A history tainted with toil and strife,
A diaspora of people spread out worldwide,
A rich heritage filled with stories to be told,
All indicated by my skin, dark and bold.
Yet still I am mistreated by my peers being crass;
I am the only coloured student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
Like bullets' to skin, eyes pierce my back.
Seizing every chance to reveal skills I lack.
Maybe an indication to cry.
Why am I the only colored kid in my class.
Or maybe motivation to try.
Keeping myself from falling last.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only student of colour in my class,

They treat me differently because of my ancestors' past,

I sit alone at lunch and I am scorned by all,

But my parents tell me to never let my head fall,

Despite what anyone says I am proud of my skin,

I will make sure that in the end I will not be treated like i belong in the bin.

# data[].attributes.body
The pain will never end,
No one in my class wants to be my friend,
Even though they all pretend,
Sometimes I wonder if the pain would end if i was dead,
My classmates always talk to me with a lot of sass,
Just because i'm the only colored student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
I am the face of the race,
Their perception of my people depends on me,
Being honored is not the case,
I don't belong, can't you see!
Alas, I am the only colored student in my class.
By: Arianne Kennedy

# data[].attributes.body
Some days I just want to leave the negativity in my head

But I'm reminded of my color before I even get out of bead

My parents always say they love me and to them i am so dear

But others dislike for me because of my skin is clear

I wish I could go back to when I was six

When I didn't care about any of this

# data[].attributes.body
I am a beautiful girl of colour.
They say “She’s always full of sass!”
Judging my every move. Why?
I am the only coloured person in my class.
They call me names and tease
But I walk with my head held high
I am proud of the skin I’m in.
I’ll remain that way till I die.

# data[].attributes.body
My class is like a piano, except the keys all look the same

Apart from me of course, I don’t even get called by my own name,

The words they use, I try to look like they don’t hurt me that much,

But I’m looked at as if I’m a disease, a disease that’s spread by touch,

I feel as if I’m standing in fire, like I’m stepping on glass

But what can I expect; I am the only colored student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured person in my class,
No one else is blessed with melanin,
It is evidence of my ancestors' past,
Dark complexion gifted to their kin,
I never feel inferior or embarrassed,
I'm comfortable with the skin I live in.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,

Sometimes  the other children look at me and laugh,

I am unfazed  tho because  I know my task,

To learn and listen and never be last.

# data[].attributes.body
I live in a world of black and white

The government controls us by telling lies

My class mates laugh and say you’re no man

They say I’m the only colored student in my class

The term the government used to describe us in the past

We are all different people not just one mass

But they needed a way to put us in a lower class

So they gave us the word colored to use as a mask

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,
My coily hair and dark skin is nothing but a contrast
To what is known and accepted by the mass.

I am the only coloured student in my class,
And while my eyes have shown nothing but warmth,
Their hearts continue to display their learnt wrath.

# data[].attributes.body
A Difficult Task

I am the only coloured person in my class,

How does it feel? I am sometimes asked,

I tell them I am hated by the mass,

And when I ask them why, what I receive is sass.

My teachers do not want me near them,

And I feel like this is reflected on to the children.

All I want is to be accepted,

Why can't it be reciprocated.

Why is it such a difficult task?

# data[].attributes.body
I sit by myself because I am scorned
They see my skin as something unadorned
I am the only coloured student in my class
Because of this they act immensely crass
They don't see me as a person, as my own kind
How I wish the world was completely colour blind

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,
Just because our skin is a contrast,
My classmates taught me this song making fun of my eyes,
I didn't know the deeper meaning to it so I sang it too, left ostracized,
Hakka, the language I could have spoken,
Yet I concealed it and left that part of me filled with neglected emotion,
Deep in my cupboard, there's hidden mahjong,
All because it started with a song.

# data[].attributes.body
Don't be too quiet, but never show too much sass
Be who you are ,
just under your culturally subdued mask.
Treat with them gently,
it isn't such a task.
Especially when my hair is about what they all ask.
Different, exotic,
the token of the class, indeed,
I am the only coloured person in my class

# data[].attributes.body
Bullied and teased everyday
Soon I am going to make them pay
The adults hardly listen, so it is time to take a stand,
I hope someday, all races can walk hand in hand

I am not a bug to be stepped on in the grass,
I am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
Swallowed by light,
Unseen in the dark night,
Always looking left cuz they don't treat me right.
I am the only coloured student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
When in a group my skin greatly contrasts.
They ignore me, looking through me like glass.
When it's a trend to support us they join the mass,
But when no one's looking they call me names.
I am the only coloured student in my class,
With no one to share my pain.

# data[].attributes.body
I walk in my class everyday,
Thinking that someone will look at me in a different way.
I hate being rejected by the mass, just because,
I am the only coloured student in my class.
But why does my skin colour have to make me the outcast?
By: Arian Chin

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured person in my class,
It feels like my skin needs a hall pass,
Going to school feels like a task,
The way the look at me does not make sense,
But it does make me feel alone and tense

# data[].attributes.body
Girls, boys
present, past
a sea of colours oh so vast
yet, i am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
"It's only a joke" they claim,
So I laugh as they call me that hateful name,
I'm told not to get angry or to calm down,
Yet they only call me this because I am brown,
I am the only coloured student in my class,
Why am I still defined by my past?

# data[].attributes.body
She sat beside me and I felt myself tense
She was white and I was black
it did not make sense
She smiled and pointed at my book and asked if we could share
I beamed at the girl who saw my skin and did not even care
So we sat in peace and read with broad smiles on our faces
I guess being coloured doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only colored person in my class,
But I do not let that faze me,
I strive no matter what my appearance doesn't change me , I don't focus on my skin but yes I recognize my heritage because my greatness lies within , I have no time for heretics,
You can't faze me,
With hate see
My God he creates me
In his image and likeness,
So you can not faze me with my darkness or lightness.

By: Noah Case

# data[].attributes.body
I have precious, ebony skin
With texture as smooth as porcelain;
But at school it becomes nothing more than a warning.
I am deemed valueless in the eyes of my peers.
My self-worth casted away like a hidden treasure chest,
Never to be discovered.
I am the only coloured person in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only colored person in my class.
Looked upon as the outsider.
I am rejected by the mass.
They say "To the exit we will guide her".
These stereotypes are insensitive and crass
Judge me on my race, no more

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class;
Just because I look different, they think that it is ok to laugh
My classmates try to stay as far away from me as possible.
Even the teachers! They look at me like I am very horrible
I can't wait until the world is a better place
Maybe then, I might be accepted for my race

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,
As I walk down the hall they bully me as I pass
The teachers look upon me in scorn
As if I am a big thorn in the class
I never seem to get good enough grades
Even though I know the teachers are throwing shade

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class;
The hatred towards me retain as my limitations surpass.
My pain is their gain as their words cut deeper than any piece of glass.
The difference between us only eyes can attain as  they harass my very name,
Their terror and disgust towards me reign as I lie alone in an empty field of grass; wondering why I am the only hated student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class,
I feel as if I don't belong.
I hang my head in shame as I walk pass,
The others in my class fighting to stay strong.
I wish in those moments I could just disappear,
When the teasing and mocking start to ring in my ear.

# data[].attributes.body
Ever since I arrived, I sat within my class
Everything seems so dark and gloomy but that's not me
I never want to blend in
I want to be that bright spark
I am going to bring some colour to this class
As I am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
Strong little youth
I am the only coulour student in my class,any racists head is just full of gas,
They are all up in my business trying to trespass,
They try to hate but our skills are world-class,
You know the code we strong like gibreglass.

# data[].attributes.body
It is funny how normalities make me unique,
Some recognise the beauty but others negatively speak,
My skin glows from within as rich as brass,
I am the only coloured person in my class,
Sure I look different but I bleed red blood the same,
Even if I could there is not a thing about myself I would change.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only colored person in my class,
My skin as dark as night,
my heart as strong as an ox,
They have been trying to bring me down for years,
However, The harder they try the more my strength appears.

# data[].attributes.body
Textured hair and big lips,
Dark skinned with broad hips.
Features meant to be appreciated,
However, met with disdain, isolated.
I am the only coloured person in my class.
When will this place begin to feel less segregated?

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured person in my class,
It hurts so much when my classmates look at me and laugh,
My skin full of colour but yet my teeth so white,
They say I look like a skunk at night,
All I want is for it to end,
So my anger can finally descend.

# data[].attributes.body
I joined in on their game,
To my surprise they did not make faces.
Unexpectedly, it was fun! a blast!
I guess being coloured doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races.

# data[].attributes.body
They call me exotic,
being so called different
They stretch their eyes asking me a simple question.
Little do they know that question isn't so simple.
They mock my differences,
but then eat my culture's food
I am the only coloured person in my class.
They tell me to go back where i came from.
Like i wasn't born here, just like them.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured person in my class.
How long will the discrimination last.
I thought we had left that in the past.
Yes our differences are vast.
But let the colour of my skin pass.

# data[].attributes.body
I have grown so used to being alone,
Being by myself is all I have ever known.
My classmates stay away from me,
And whisper under their breath.
My fellow classmates chop me down like grass,.
I am the only coloured student in my class.

# data[].attributes.body
Days go by as I endure the pain
My classmates and I are not the same.
They laugh and point at the color of my skin and make it so that I never fit in.
The tears I cry run like a river
As my reality is often spoken.
I am the only colored student in my class
and because of that I am broken.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the only coloured student in my class
My skin so dark but a heart like a flask
My mind so weak but my legs so fast
A soul that shines as bright as brass
I am always ready for all my tasks
But my soul gets shattered by words that pass

# data[].attributes.body
The back of this room is lonely i sit in the dark,
Invisible to all others who seem to be a bright spark.
Ignored by all from day to night come,
Here in this place I feel like scum.
Now I sit here and watch the time pass
I am the only coloured student in my class

# data[].attributes.body
I Am Imposter
By Marissa Williams

I am the only coloured student in my class.
No one ever seems to notice my wrath.
Not one student has questioned my tasks,
Even when beside me laid shards of glass.
I am the imposter, but everyone has given me the chance to pass.

# data[].attributes.body
Write a poem of 4-6 lines. It must include one of the following lines:

"I am the only coloured student in my class."

OR

"I guess being coloured doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races."