I am neither black, nor white, nor yellow, nor any other man created color
I want to be color blind, but you won’t let me! Why aren’t you color blind?
I am not a beast, I am not a threat, and I am not a criminal
I am a human being just like you; can’t you see beyond my flesh?
I am imperfect and know it, but I am not a threat; can you not tell?
I was the underdog pleading for my life; could you not feel my anguish?
Could you not see and hear my fear, my hope turned into hopelessness?
My desperate voice and my weakened body as life was deserting it.
We are both sons of Adam, molded from clay, do you know it?
I know we are both sons of Adam, did you know it?
Social construction of target populations led to my misery, maltreatment, and death.
Is white pure and black impure?
Was I a threat to you or your family?
How could I have been a threat under shackles, chokehold, and harmless?
If I was a white man pleading for my life, would you have shown mercy for my soul?
I deserved to live, could you not tell?
Apparently no, you sentenced me to death without a proper defense.
Are you empowered by your whiteness?
Could you not see me through my black color?
As my soul is leaving my agonizing body and my almost lifeless shell resting on the pavement, I want you to know that I am a son, a father, a grandfather, a brother, an uncle, a friend, and a human being
I want you to know that you took all that away from me and them
Can’t you see my true self despite my color?
Apparently, you cannot and could not.
In your eyes, I saw hatred and your guiltless conscience squeezing the last breath out of me
As I was taking my last breath gazing into your eyes, I saw no regrets but determination
I saw no remorse, no mercy
I saw in your glare the satisfaction of ridding the world of one more black man
I sensed your disdain and disregard for my life
I sensed your lack of empathy
Do you feel anything other than relief now that I am gone?
Can you feel the sorrow you caused my son, my daughter, my mother, my father, my family, and my friends?
Why so much hatred towards my black self? What is my crime?
I am guilty of being black!
I am guilty of having been kidnapped by my brothers and sold to the white men
I am guilty of having been shipped to America in shackles to work the fields
I am guilty of having been exposed half naked in public slave markets and auctioned
I am guilty of having been separated from my family, tortured, raped, and killed
I am guilty of having contributed to the enrichment of many nations
Although, some refuse to recognize it publicly
I am guilty of fighting against public policies that were enacted to protect my perpetrators
I was guilty of being black yesterday,
I am guilty of being black today, will I be guilty of being black tomorrow?
Yet, they say blacks kill more blacks in America and in Africa through gangs and territorial wars
Could blacks have less regard for other blacks’ lives?
Is this about race?
What is the root cause of this societal ill?