I’m not sorry my presence threatens you 

I’m not sorry that I have fought for my place at the “big boys table” 

I’m not sorry the power of a black woman makes you shiver. 

You claim that America is united

You claim that America is the land of the free

You claim that America is the land of equality 

You claim that America is great 

You have underestimated my power

You have tried to trivialize me and even though that has been a failed attempt, you still try

You have insulted me for the color of my skin

You have labeled the color of my skin a gang color 

You clutch onto your purse when I walk into the same elevator as you 

You protest against my protest for equality 

Yet you dare to stand before me and tell me that America is the land of the free? 

I DISAGREE 

You may have slept in the bed of roses and ran in fields of daisies growing up but yet you fail to see the world in other colors

Your racist slurs do not get to me anymore, I simply fight back because I don’t want you to think you have the upper hand 

Your ancestors are the reason that I don’t know my origins, yet I don’t blame you for that 

I blame you for your current actions against me 

I blame you for following in the footsteps of your ancestors 

I blame you for not making a change 

I blame you for your will to say “white lives matter” during a black lives matter protest 

I blame you for your will to open fire on a peaceful protest. 

I blame you for your will to silence my voice when I speak a little too loud 

I blame you for your will to assassinate the leaders of my people

I blame you for your will to crush every person of color who looks too powerful for you 

Your will to make a racist person the leader of America.

Yet you dare to stand before me and tell me the bill or rights means something to my people 

I DISAGREE 

 

I wear a hijab and when I walk into a mall, people shift, people tremble, people look, people mock 

The war you started with my people in which they fought back continues to haunt you

You consider me a threat because of my skin tone but your ancestors considered my ancestors’ aliments? 

You consider me a threat because of my skin tone but yet your ancestors left no stone unturned when it came to killing my ancestors? 

You consider me a threat because of my skin tone even though you stole everything from me? 

You are scared of me because you think I will rebel against you 

I have the right to 

An eye for an eye right, Malcolm X. 

Yet I choose to be civil about my actions

The soil you claim to be yours was built on the blood, sweat, tears, and backs of my people. 

Yet you dare to stand before me and tell me America is the land of equality

I Disagree 

Your impertinence against my people has to cease.  

I have not moved past the devastating things your people continue to do to mine. 

My cries for equality get louder every day but I am silent by bars of a jail or a gunshot wound to my head 

My pain doesn’t bother you

I have bashed you, fought you, pleaded with you, I have stooped to the lowest level to get mere respect but yet I am slammed to the floor 

I am scared of sirens, shouldn’t I feel protected by the presence of the force that is supposedly supposed to protect me? 

Take away your pride 

Take away your skin tone 

Take away your white privileged 

Take away your money 

Take away the blindfolds that shield you from seeing the cruel things you continue to do to me 

See me cry 

See my people cry 

See that mother cry for the loss of her son 

See people of color come together to fight for the same thing over and over again

I have let down my barrier 

I have let down my guard 

I have let down the last shred of respect I have 

It is time for you to do the same. 

The society I live in does not treat me with equality 

Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents.

My fight for equality shouldn’t still be a fight I have to fight 

My ancestors fought, my grandparents fought, my parents fought and now I fight too but I assure you my children will not fight 

Your cruel government that continues to fail my people will cease to exist 

The America you see in black and white will cease to exist because I am here to bring real change.

Equality for All.