The face of racism

Uses words to kill all that is good on earth, without glancing back at the damage

It has the ability to claim countless lives in mere seconds, then continue on

Words range from being as sharp as knives to prickly pins, that repeatedly pierce people

But they’re just words, right?

 

The face of racism is

The screamings of millions who seem to only know hate

The silence of minorities, children, women, men all alike

The murmurs of individuals who attempt to stare this face down

But everyone is fair, right?

 

The face of racism is

Being identified as cowards, murderers, less than human

Because of the pigment of my skin

Being seen as monsters, unintelligent, barbaric

Because someone is darker than another

But these are just opinions, right?

 

The face of racism

Steals voices, then chokes them away

In the form of cops wielding guns and batons

Having my culture ferociously presented as wicked

Under the watch of millions yet having nothing done

But we deserved it, right?

 

The face of racism

Is saying that “those” people are animals and naive

Yet pursuing and handling them like brutes

We advocate for equal rights for other species

Yet we do not even have equal rights for the entire human race

But this is just a small problem, right?

 

The face of racism is

By far, the most unkind of faces

The face of a snarling beast bearing its teeth to cover an ignorant mind

Lives are ruined and torn in half leisurely

As the smell of a smoky hatred burns in people’s hearts

Lives are pushed to the edge of their already broken society

As those people accept their cruel fate and depart

But that’s just their life right?

 

This face of racism

Has been worn by both you and me, when our own eyes show glints of ignorance or feed into society's stereotypes

or when we tell jokes that put down another

But they’re just jokes, right?

 

The face of racism is

Me, a 16-year old Black girl, having to stand in front of her class and explain why this is wrong

But my race doesn’t matter, right?

We’re supposedly equal, right?

 

The face of racism

Can be ended with a gentle smile, as a child refuses to grow in a world of hate. But they will never forget that sinister glare as they overcame this obstacle.

But that child will have to fight, right?

But do they truly have the power to fight alone?

We can give that power

Like an engine gives power to a rocket, let us be the first spark that unites this world and sets all differences that puts us apart, aflame

 

The choice is ours and ours alone.

Do we end the blight of racism,

Or do we walk in silence?

 

Even though silence is a killer.