Close your eyes, open your ears, open your mind and open your heart. Right now you can't see me, but you can get to know me. Our conversation wouldn't be about color, just about you and about me. What you like, what I like....what I like to eat, what you like to eat....just simple small talk. We'll talk like this for hours, days, months, years. You'll know me, I'll know you, and we'll love the person that we got to know.
Now....open your eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see the person they say I am, or do you see the person you got to know?
I am who I am, not who they say I am.
You are who you are, not who I or they say you are.
So tell me, why do you look at me with such judgmental eyes? Why do you look at me with so much fear?
Now....open your eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see the person they say I am, or do you see the person you got to know?
I am who I am, not who they say I am.
You are who you are, not who I or they say you are.
So tell me, why do you look at me with such judgmental eyes? Why do you look at me with so much fear?
Society has made you believe that you can tell my story based on the color of my skin. Society has made you believe that I am who they say I am. Society has given you so many options to label me by. I refute all these labels,......these "stereotypes". I am not who I am because of the color of my skin, I am not who I am because society says I am that person, I am not who I am because of the color of my skin.
I love chicken not because of the color of my skin, but because chicken is a very affordable and accessible meat that tastes delicious (You eat it and love it just as much as I do). I love watermelon not because of the color of my skin, but because I grew up being educated that fruits and vegetables are a part of a healthy diet (it's an added bonus that watermelon is very appetizing, so it is one of the many fruits that I eat). Orange soda or grape soda isn't my favorite sodas, a matter of fact, I don't drink any type of soda. I'm not a basketball player, never have been, never will be. I've played volleyball for years, and that won't change.
Just as you, I get up, I brush my teeth, I take a shower, get dressed, have breakfast and start my day. I'm a student, a young man chasing his goal just like everyone else out there. I'm not looking for the easy way out, I'm not looking for shortcuts.
This is who I am, but I often wonder who you THINK I am. I look at you looking at me, but do you really see me? I often feel your eyes judging me, they scan me from head to toe with a disturbing look, as if my very existence disturbs you. There are times I feel your eyes looking straight through me, as if you don't even acknowledge my very presence. Why?
I'm walking just as you to get to my destination. I have my own business to attend to, I have my own friends, family to go and see. I see you, I see another person enjoying another beautiful day. You see me, and what do you see? I wonder, because your eyes are filled with so much fear. You grab your bag tightly the moment you see me within a few feet of you. What scares you about me? I walk around with a smile on my face, I walk around filled with joy. So what is it? Does the color of my skin speak to you, tell you that I want to rob you? Does the color of my skin make me transparent that you look at me and refuse to acknowledge my presence? What is it?
We've never met, but yet you look at me with anger, hate.....disgust, as if I've done wrong to you. You look at me with those judgmental eyes, those eyes that cut....cut away at me. I've been taught that there is ignorance in the world, that I shouldn't allow people to steal my joy, but how can I ignore such experiences? How can I ignore not being accepted into some places because the color of my skin isn't part of the dress code? How can I ignore being treated less of a person? How can I ignore that I'm living in 2017 and we still have people who refuse to educate themselves? It hurts, it honestly does, and I don't think there's a way that I can ignore it.
So dear judgmental eyes, I just want you to know that you hurt me always. But as much as you hurt me, I won't become you, I won't look at you with judgmental eyes. I feel sorry for you, I'm sorry that you are so ignorant. I'm sorry that you that you need to make yourself feel better by "trying" to make me feel less of a person. I'm sorry that you're suffering from such a horrible insecurity. You may hurt me, but you'll never take away my happiness, you'll never take away how proud I am for being who I am.
You are the minority in this world, you are alone. The world is working together to make a better tomorrow. We are all unity, we all know that color doesn't determine a person's life. We are free from that mentality.
If you meet someone with your eyes closed, you'll only be able to know them by who they are, so why not do the same when you're eyes are opened?
"The blind sees more than what we see".
This is who I am, but I often wonder who you THINK I am. I look at you looking at me, but do you really see me? I often feel your eyes judging me, they scan me from head to toe with a disturbing look, as if my very existence disturbs you. There are times I feel your eyes looking straight through me, as if you don't even acknowledge my very presence. Why?
I'm walking just as you to get to my destination. I have my own business to attend to, I have my own friends, family to go and see. I see you, I see another person enjoying another beautiful day. You see me, and what do you see? I wonder, because your eyes are filled with so much fear. You grab your bag tightly the moment you see me within a few feet of you. What scares you about me? I walk around with a smile on my face, I walk around filled with joy. So what is it? Does the color of my skin speak to you, tell you that I want to rob you? Does the color of my skin make me transparent that you look at me and refuse to acknowledge my presence? What is it?
We've never met, but yet you look at me with anger, hate.....disgust, as if I've done wrong to you. You look at me with those judgmental eyes, those eyes that cut....cut away at me. I've been taught that there is ignorance in the world, that I shouldn't allow people to steal my joy, but how can I ignore such experiences? How can I ignore not being accepted into some places because the color of my skin isn't part of the dress code? How can I ignore being treated less of a person? How can I ignore that I'm living in 2017 and we still have people who refuse to educate themselves? It hurts, it honestly does, and I don't think there's a way that I can ignore it.
So dear judgmental eyes, I just want you to know that you hurt me always. But as much as you hurt me, I won't become you, I won't look at you with judgmental eyes. I feel sorry for you, I'm sorry that you are so ignorant. I'm sorry that you that you need to make yourself feel better by "trying" to make me feel less of a person. I'm sorry that you're suffering from such a horrible insecurity. You may hurt me, but you'll never take away my happiness, you'll never take away how proud I am for being who I am.
You are the minority in this world, you are alone. The world is working together to make a better tomorrow. We are all unity, we all know that color doesn't determine a person's life. We are free from that mentality.
If you meet someone with your eyes closed, you'll only be able to know them by who they are, so why not do the same when you're eyes are opened?
"The blind sees more than what we see".
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