by Nakeya Isabell
Many people talk about the struggle
But I wonder if they know the story of pain
How our ancestors journeyed through the terror and the rain
See Harriet Tubman said she freed a thousands slaves
But could have freed a 1,000 more if only they knew they were slaves………
See, If we knew we were trained to be modern-day slaves, would we really choose to live?
What would happen if we acknowledged our reality and made steps towards change?
If we as people could recognize our identity, with a propensity to embrace our strengths, we could change this world
True unity is impossible to tear down
Not hatin' on one another, killin', and stepping on each other to get to the top
But loving one another as we love ourselves
And do we really love ourselves?
See, today we face modern-day slavery
Enslaved to relationships, possessions, power, money, oppression, entertainment, athletics and success
Yet we fail to see its shackles and its cause of distress
It's like going to battle without preparation
If you don't recognize the need to prepare you might as well plan to die
Like Malcolm X said
We can't think of being acceptable to others until we've first proven acceptable to ourselves
So we must accept our natural gifts
And the power lies within
Power to make a difference
Power to be free
Power To love
To be comfortable in our beautiful colorful skin
Because beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
African, American, Somali, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Egyptian, Asian, Indian, European, and the list goes on and on
Shades of many colors yet we all bleed red
You are beautiful
You are powerful
You will be effective
See history, is the past, present and the future
So don't sit down, but stand up and make history
Don't just talk about the struggle ignoring the pain
Allow it to take root in your heart and mind so that you can bear its fruit
You are not bound to the media's perception
You don't have to be the statistic that society labels you
But I hope you realize through your real eyes you are called to be FREE
So raise your head, hands, and eyes to the sky and shine like the stars and allow yourselves to be FREE
Nakeya Isabell is a native of Seattle, WA. She uses her voice, creativity and compassion to spread hope. In 2004, Nakeya graduated from Cleveland High in Seattle then earned basketball scholarships to the College of Southern Idaho and Pepperdine University. In 2009, Nakeya graduated with a BA in Advertising. She is passionate about faith, love, and community. Currently Nakeya is a youth services assistant at Cleveland High. She released her first spoken word album entitled "Love, Justice & Truth." Nakeya's life goal is to live full so that she can die empty.
You can retrieve her album at: http://smarturl.it/nakeya.
Featured image by Agnali.