I am a Black Girl

I am a Black Girl

That’s different than just saying I’m a girl

That’s different than just saying I’m black

To be a black girl doesn’t just mean I have darker skin

To be a black girl doesn’t mean I’m hard to approach

To be a black girl doesn’t mean you have to be ready to hold my earrings

To be a black girl doesn’t mean you have to try harder to teach me something

But

To be a black girl means I’m special in every way

To be a black girl means there’s nothing I can’t do

To be a black girl means I am capable of more than you’d know

To be a black girl means that I am phenomenal

I am a Black Girl

With emphasis on the word black

It’s more than just a race,

It’s a lifestyle we must live

It’s a collection of actions that we have to get used to

It’s an expectation that we work to avoid

We work to teach the world what it is to be black

Like

When you’re looked at sideways for walking in a certain store

When you see a women clutch her purse a little tighter when you get on the elevator

When you are told “you’re acting white” for speaking with correct grammar

When you walk into a room nicely dressed and see the surprised look on people’s faces

When everyone turns to you in 3rd grade history when you start to learn about slavery

I am a Black Girl

And all through my life

I’ve had to work a little harder to fit in

It’s hard to find your place in the world when you’re the only chocolate chip on a sugar cookie

It’s hard to figure out who you are when you’re the sole representation of your race

I found my way through this maze, but some people don’t have the support that I had

Not everyone has strong black role models in every part of their life

Not everyone has parents that protect you from things you don’t even see coming

Not everyone has people in their lives that have seen them grow up

and have molded them along       the way

Not everyone was exposed to the opportunities that I was

I am a Black Girl

So yes I’ve heard the calls

Of guys on the street or at the mall

I understand that there’s something about me everyone wants

And that just because I’ve got it doesn’t mean I need to share it

I’ve seen the way people respond when they hear about my straight A’s

Or the fact that I’m 16 and haven’t done stuff that is “normal” for my age

I get that I’m not like a lot of the people around me

But I don’t see why I should take that as a bad thing

I am a Black Girl

So sometimes it’s hard to see past what’s on the outside

But once you’ve given some time to understand the confusing

And dedicated some care to get past the concealed

You’ll see that

All the world waits my coming

All the world watches with interest to see what I shall become

They want to know if I will be like others

and use “what God gave me” to make money

Or if I will break boundaries

and do something with my life to make the world greater.

I am a Black Girl

I am an inspiration to those around me

I am the embodiment of the ideals of my parents

I am wise beyond my years

I am the light in a dark room

I am the joy in your eyes

I am the example for having fire in our heart

I am the reason to not lose hope

I am why my family is free

I am the work of those who came before me

I am the hard times as well as the good ones

I am the people in their time of need

I am because we are

I am a strong, independent, black girl

And I am me.