We hold these truths to be self-evident, That all men are created equal, That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, Among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Unless you’re loud and black and possess an opinion, The all you get is a bullet, A bullet that held me at bay, A bullet that can puncture my skin, Take all my dreams away, A bullet that can silence the words that I speak to my mother just because I’m other, A bullet…held me captive. Gun in my face, your hate misplaced. White skin, light skin, but for me, not the right skin. Judging me with no crime committed. Reckless trigger finger itching to prove your worth by disapproving mine, My life in your hands, My life on the line. Fred Hampton. Tamir Rice. Rekia Boyd. Reggie Green? Spared by a piece of paper, A student ID that you had to see before you could identify me and set me supposedly free. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For some of us, maybe. There’s nothing self-evident about it.
~Reggie Green (Dear White People)
