VOX ATL staff writer Kayden shares her and other dark-skinned girls' experiences of being mocked at school for their skin color. Read on
Tag Archives: race
While the new Netflix original movie "Tall Girl" was made for a teen audience, Brooklyn, 14, didn't feel the film was relatable to her. She explains why. Read on
Most people don’t see themselves as a racist but maybe instead as individuals who view people through society’s eyes. Of course, most are unaware of it, but it relentlessly co-exists with them. Read on
The Department of Education is supposed to prohibit discrimination in the school environment. They have failed to do so because in certain schools black girls and boys have been threatened with suspension because of their hair. Read on
"Blackness is not a rigid definition provided by anyone, even ourselves. But is inherently the celebration of what makes us unique and how we are all pulled back together by a commonly shared and rich history." Read on
VOX Teen Poetry: ‘Prison of Perception’
Look at my skin…and predict what the future holds for me, a statistic of why America needs more police, or an absent father, imprisoned for his crimes, unable to see the day that his son will finally rise
Listen to my voice…try to imagine my past. A 9-year-old kid that hears the birds of the night, their chirping soon followed by a single mother’s cries, or a mistake, another burden of a 15-year-old girl, putting food on my plate, living in disgrace of how she got the money for it
Step into my shoes…and tell me when your feet start to hurt. Is it from all the marching, Black-on-Black crime is fine but a dead gorilla is more appalling, or walking to American History, to learn how your last name came from the rapist who divided your family.
We are all judgmental creatures, guess it’s human nature to be. I’m tired of praying every single night that I can even walk home safely, that when I do die, my mom ain’t digging my grave over a black hoodie
We may walk free, but because of our judgmental mentality, we are all enslaved mentally.But I feel something strong that moves me inside, and no longer is it fear moving down my spine
I feel this yoke of prejudice breaking, rusty like they’re worn by the slaves at the bottom of the sea. I have outgrown these handcuffs of superstitions, knowing that I can open their lock without selling a single key and anyone can thrive in this society, regardless of ethnicity.
I used to believe my skin color only guaranteed life in a penitentiary, but if my people created pyramids before Jesus Christ was conceived, hate it or love it, it’s in my genetics to succeed. So I’ll ask you once more, when you look at my skin, what do you see? A person who lives in a box society created to define me, or a regular human being who ain’t afraid to stand in front of anyone and say proudly, “only God can judge me.”