Skin

Skin is like candy. Skin comes in way too many different colors to count: Red, brown, peach, off white, egg shell, caramel. Skin is nothing exceptional; it covers your entrails on a rainy day. It keeps your insides from washing away. Skin is so penetrable; a simple stare could make you feel more transparent than an x-ray.

            Skin is nothing more than atoms, cells, DNA, pores, collagen, keratin and hair. You and I differ only in the level of melanin released, by chance, by a tiny, insignificant, mistake-prone, unimportant, oh did I mention insignificant cell...no excuse me, organelle

            Now I see you there, shaking your head; disagreeing with me. You are entitled to your opinion. But think about this, skin is supposed to protect us. How come it has set back my people by a hundred and fifty years? How come people of darker skin are behind in every single possible aspect of life? Why does affirmative action exist? It's to give an excuse for people who are less than. Affirmative action is to tell me that my people, black people, Hispanic people, Native Americans cannot achieve as greatly as you can.

            In every definition of the word "minority", the phrase "less than" sits nonchalantly within that sentence. Let me tell you something, I am not less than. I am not less than. I AM NOT LESS THAN YOU, or you, or you or you or me. I am much more, than you can count,as you can see. Do not tell me I am a minority, because in fact, I am a majority. I should be treated as a package with priority shipping. I should be treated with seniority, because I was here first, because my people were here first. Does Native American mean nothing to you?

The color of my skin will continue to be "less than" because apparently we can't spell "beauty" "equality" or "same" without M-I-N-O-R-I-T-Y.

I was one told "the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice", but guess he lied.