Injustice Watch Poem Of The Week: 'I Wish To Live Alive, Not Just Survive'

From Injustice Watch:

By Tamia Brinson

Editor’s note: This poem is part of our #SpreadTheWord poem of the week series, featuring work by Chicago artists based on Injustice Watch reporting. This poem was inspired by “In Plain View: Cops Around The Country Are Posting Racist And Violent Comments On Facebook.” For more poetry in this series, click here.

i used to wish that i was white

i wished to scrape the melanin off my skin

the hate the world wielded against my people

forged its way within

those designed to protect us neglect us

they tie the anchors around our feet

our cries for help are silenced

they are the wolves, and we are the sheep

they have no mercy for our screams

in fact, they enjoy the taste of our demise

how blissful it must be to live in ignorance

while our bodies drop like flies

i no longer wish to be white

only to be seen

not defined by my color

just the merit of my being

(is that too much to ask?)

My name is Tamia Brinson and my greatest strength is my resiliency. I may fall, but never do I break.

Injustice Watch is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, multimedia journalism organization that conducts in-depth research exposing institutional failures that obstruct justice and equality. For more stories from Injustice Watch, visit InjusticeWatch.org.