Black History

Written by Joel Brown, a Ventura County high school student, featuring artwork by Ellawyn Wood.

Every time they're reminded, so am I

But it’s wrong to remind them that I’m Black

I must feel something for the tragedies

I must cry for the rivers of blood that have been spilled

They remind us every year that there is a dream

That we have overcome

That change is happening

That the dream is around the corner

But for who?

When we still are beaten in the streets

And killed without trial

Judged for the stigma

Rather than the merit of our character

Because this is still their entertainment

We are no more than pests in their presence

A second-class being

That should be happy to do their bidding

Or that we don’t deserve to live

A government that’s upset with a crime rate they caused

Rather than remind me of my daily pain

And display the stigmas that will define me

Do something to change,

So that the pains, and the struggles, of Black history, become just that

History

And not our reality.