I’m scared to raise a black son
Scared that while reaching for his wallet
Some may see a gun
How do I look him in the eye
And tell him he can’t go outside at night
Because of the color of his skin
What do I do when his heart is broken
Like a forgotten Barbie, someone failed to move
Because his white girlfriend’s father didn’t approve
And how do I lay my fears to rest
When he’s out with his friends
Having harmless fun
But someone may see it as a threat
If I choose to shield him from this ugly
Will I soon regret
When one silly mistake turns the situation ugly
And of my son there may be nothing left
Do I warn him that his chains and jerseys
May make him a thug
While some of his friends will simply be labeled
As urban and fashionable
How do I teach him to look at all women
In the same light
Instead of some being superior
Just because they are white
Just as his friends might.
Do I show him the reality that
Some girl might use him
Just to make her parents mad
And if he does choose someone
Of another race to love
How do I explain to him that some
Will see him as uppity
And say that he thinks of himself as above
And how do I make it known
That to be successful
He doesn’t have to be a rapper
Or a basketball player
As it seems these are the only acceptable dreams
For young black teens
These are some issues at hand
And I pray that my 16 year old boy
Gets looked at as a boy
And not a man

I’m scared to raise a black daughter
Scared that her tears may one day become
Rejection and loneliness instead of salt water
How do I dull the pain
Of not having a date
Because she is not black enough for her own race
And too black for the others
How do I teach her that her natural hair
Is not a curse
But rather a blessing from above
It’s very existence defying gravity
Do I teach her to tolerate
The endless, can I touch your hair’s
Do I teach her to ignore the obvious hate in their stares
And if she likes weave better
How do I make sure she knows
People will always crack cheap jokes
And that with or without
She is beautiful
Inside and out
And how do I warn
That some of our brothers
Despite having black mothers
Look at black women with disgust
Because of the self-hate and mistrust
And how do I tell her
That even if she lacks
The famous “black women curves”
She still has the power
To make the right man worship her
If she is dark-skinned
How do I make it known
That the extra melanin
Is just as attractive
As the lack of it
How do I teach my daughter to love herself
If everything and everyone around her
Teaches her to hate?

I’m scared to raise black children
Scared that others may not recognize
The value of the life that they are living
How do I teach them that despite
The minimal representations
At the front of the classroom, in books, and on TV.
There are the teachers, lawyers, actors, models
And brain surgeons who have the same
Color skin as me
And do I lie to their faces
And tell them they have
Just a big a chance as anybody
When the truth remains
They must be smarter, prettier, faster, stronger
And more polite
To go where some merely have to be literate
Names like Jamal and Ieesha
Are automatically handicapped
Because the face behind the application
Just might be black
How do I teach them who they are
When we’re labeled as African Americans
With not a thought as to who we really are
History tells us that the original Chinese were black
But turn to a page in your history book
And I doubt you will find them teaching that
And if they turn out light-skinned
How do I make it apparent
That their darker brothers and sisters
Are just as important
I’m scared to raise back children
In a society that tells them
Everything about them is either hated or tolerated
And I pray that someone looks at my children
And sees lives that are worth living

I will teach my children to judge people
By the contents of their soul
Rather than the color of their skin
I will teach them that peace lies within
I will guide them into acting as a team
And I will teach them that they are indeed
King And Queen