Dear Estefany,

I am 19 years old, but centuries in the making. Don't you think that's amazing? We have all been in the making for centuries. Less than 1% of our biological makeup links us to our ancestors, but the intertwining of our past creators shaped our whole identities.   Before you stands a pale green eyed Dominican girl. But I am indeed of African descent.The creation of centuries that depicted prohibited relationships with slaves, later followed by segregation, hate, and pain. I am the proud older sibling to a beautifully brown, "Morenita" younger sister.Who's surrounded by people who ask her why we don't look the same. But when I look at my reflection I can't seem to comprehend the inquisitory questioning For isn't the blood that runs through my veins the same And just as heavy as the ones that trickled down the woundsInflicted by the whips of a human being On all those innocent colored children  Isn't the pain of a white girls memory of getting rapped, just as strong as the misery felt by a black mother whose children are being sold away Those stereotypic inquisitions have been centuries in the making.  I must admit I am filled with anger and shame because I can't seem to fathom how a society of any race could displace a group of people Harass them based on features Bomb the churches of black preachers Steal their last shreds of dignity with thin strips of leather And then send them into the unknown, from their homes, in numbers unmeasurable  But the "white people", the "right people", the "I am better than you" peopleStood proudly, flaunting their superiority  I think to myself they must've been insane becauseAll African Americans where trying to obtain ...was equality Are we not all of the Human race?  Yes, those people too were centuries in the making.  But then again we must admit it takes time to break a chain because centuries spend on being Inhuman Can be viewed as ok!! If it's the only view you've been exposed to since the age of three If it's the only truth you've known growing up as a teen  A white boy stands over an innocent black woman on the floor he's just hurtAnd all he sees is dirt Because his Daddy repeated every day how he was blessed with the gift of intellectAnd that those ignorant colored people Where lower in comparison than the garbage he threw in his trash can   That boy was centuries in the making.  Our clock is ticking by Our chance to be the change we crave will soon subside Yes! We as a nation have come far But our change must be worldwideThere is more slavery now than any other period in time My three minutes are almost done but three minutes aren't enough to summarize The struggles of so many lifetimes  You see what we need to do is embrace the Transcendentalism Because the truth of existence lays outside the reach of physical human senses and perceptions There is a God above who should fuel your motivation Don't let the past keep recurring  We need to stray away from such conformity Let's reach out and capture of essence of individuality  New ideas, New truths, more humanity. More people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcom XPeople who put their lives on the line to undo the wrongs of the rest  People whose words seep into the hearts of a blinded population and stay imprinted on everyone it affects  I wrote to you before, confused and ashamed But Now .. As I look around the room I am blinded by the brightness of our future  A room with passionate young students who have been in the making for centuries But hold the key to unlock their spiritual destiny  You are the change And who knows maybe the next Rosa or Dr.King is sitting beside you this very day Love, Future you, the artist and teacher