PHOTO: The newyorker.com
When are they going to see us?
Realize that we mean no harm.
Can’t you forget the color of my skin?
Look me in the eyes,
And see that we’re kin;
Guess not;
Continuing to damage our self-esteem,
And end up saying we are broken.
How many lives do you have to take?
How much damage and heartbreak?
Taking us away from our families,
Based on technical formalities;
Can’t you see we are no lesser than human?
How I dress, talk, walk is danger,
Believing we belong to gangs;
That’s just the typical stereotypes
You all have given us;
Each day we walk out of our houses,
Our mothers crying;
Sisters weeping;
Daddy’s praying;
Does it have to be like this?
We live in a hypocritical nation,
That goes against its own notion;
We can’t own anything nice,
And when we try to explain,
They say it’s all lies;
How many lives do you have to take?
How much damage and heartbreak?
Huh, tell me;
Everything we say doesn’t matter,
To you all it’s normal;
Why do you do what you do?
Why do you say what you say?
It’s on repeat day-by-day;
We have proof,
Videos, pictures;
And you all still don’t care,
But all you say is the world isn’t fair;
We work ten times harder,
But still don’t get credit;
Now we just have to exit;
We’re here on our own,
The system isn’t made for us;
They give us deals,
Where there is no other option;
A BLACK MAN isn’t like any other man;
He’s a hardworking man,
But still not a member of this land;
Slavery!
Racism!
Segregation!
Ostracism!
It’s just one step to another,
Can’t you help out a brother?
When are we going to reach our goal?
Standing at the bottom of a high pole;
Just trying to live the American dream,
But stuck in this frame;
Justice isn’t done for all,
The black community is just set up to fall;
I don’t even know why I’m saying this,
Since it’s not going to change anything;
I mean it’s just another day in the neighborhood, right?
It’s just the BLACK MANS Life.