Cash me outside

"Cash me outside, how bow Dat"I wonder if she'd still have fame if her skin was black or if her hair was wrappedCelebrities putting her in their funny videos and having her join their rapsBut it's crazy cause there are little black girls being shamed for acting like that. And we were raised on that. Raised on Ebonics, never told the value of being hooked on phonics,Instead we knew more people hooked on crackWhat a world it would be if I never had to tell my son the horrors of the system If he never had to worry about institutionalized racismIf he never had to be randomly pulled over by hidden hooded policemenOr stopped and frisked based on the color of his skin. See you may celebrate your 21st birthday because you're happy you can imbibeWe celebrate black men's 21st birthdays because we're grateful for how long they've survived we're just happy to be aliveYou will always have the privilege of never knowing the world we see. You will always find ways to appropriate our culture and make it a trend for you and a stereotype for me You will never be followed around in stores Or randomly be perceived to be a thug or a thief You will always have the right blame me for for the nations mischief You will always be able to use the excuse that everyone can make it in America,  call us lazy, and base our poverty on our use of the government's moneyOr that our health disparities are our fault because we spend too much time eating bad foods and not enough time running But you will never see a Whole Foods in the hood, just the local bodega with old fruitsAnd some black boys will never see black men in suitsAnd your children may never see the inside of an underfunded schoolWhere the teachers are just collecting checks and treat the children like foolsNever challenged, never expected to do great thingsWhile your son in college prep, in high school, goals for getting their PHDThere are black kids with incredible minds that will never get their degree, because they don't have the money or even worse, they've been taken by the streetsSo don't use your privilege to shame others for living in a world you'll never mentally graspJust use your privilege to help other stand up for the right to be black Now how bow dat 

This poem is about: 
My community
My country

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