#dearblackman

You are valuable. Your melanin is like gold and the lost city of El Dorado couldn’t begin to amount to your worth. You are priceless. But sadly society has taken your lack of price tag as a chance to place a toe tag and do away with you as of you were contraband.

I understand, your pain.

I have watched for generations as they take you away. Replacing your books with guns and crack pipes. Enticing you to fight and devalue life. Fuck learning when you can be what goes bump in the night.

Trading in your suits and ties for hoddies and knives. Because book smarts dont earn credit with the streets. And in the if you ain’t learned nothing you know its fuck the police.

But my King I am here to say this ISNT you.

See you were the first man. Made in Yah’s image. So I understand their disappointment. That lack of melanin makes them so distinctively different. So they feel threatened. Because you are uncharted territory. And history lessons have shown that no matter how hard they try you are not to be controlled. No matter the whips and chains or changing of names..You are not some wild animal in need to be domesticated.

No!

You are untameable. You are a KING. And as your Queen know that I am here…praying, every night with my face buried in the floor making sure you always come thru that door. Because if don’t who will. For I am you rib. It is my duty to make sure you stand tall in the face of our adversary. You are the protector. You are what keeps us safe.

I see your strength but I also see your pain. The frustration that your life is being lived in vain because you can be killed by someone who doesn’t even know your name. Someone who only sees color. Someone who is so afraid of your melanin that even if you listened it would still end with your death.

Or that raising your hands will get you shot.

That turning away will get you shot.

That wearing a hoodie will get you shot.

That reaching in compliance will get you shot.

And I share that frustration. Unable to properly take care of your family, waring with the police, because now and days its blue uniforms instead of pointed hoods and white sheets. The constant attacks but never being able to defend because then you’re aggressive. And even in your nonaggression it still leads to

“well I thought he had a weapon”.

So know King I am at your back. And when the unjust happens I will scream for your justice. And when my voice gives out my actions will scream for all of us. My cries will be like sirens and they will hear my tears in their silence. Washing away seats and streets paved with bloodstains none of this will be in vain. I just ask that you maintain your faith. Do not allow this society to take you away from me. Because if you allow yourself to give up there will be no one left to protect us.