Identity / all

We Are All a Little Racist

by share

We are all a little racist.

It is not just a matter of black and white

Or colors that do not blend in with the night

It is the monster that hides away in our brains

Driving our ingrained judgement insane.

We are all a little racist.

There is no predator there is no prey

No victim or bully to portray

We are both the sufferer and the punisher

All making life a little bit harsher

We are all a little racist.

Whenever conflict tends to arise

Between two equal candidates either girls or guys

Both deserving of the award, the job, or the school

This is when the game of colors gets truly cruel

We are all a little racist.

When people have no other flaws to point out.

An accusatory word yearns to come out of the mouth

They probably won’t say it; they will hold it in

But it will be a remark about the skin

We are all a little racist.

It is not something that makes us proud

Ironically, it is our desire to blend in with the crowd

With our fear of the unknown upon first glance

We rely on first impressions, not giving the person a chance

We are all a little racist.

You cast your eyes upon a person on the street

Whether yellow, black, white, or red from the heat

Where they work, what they do, you do not have a clue

All the eyes see is that the person is not the same color as you

We are all a little racist.

The lurking demon of racism continues to possess us all day

Constantly demanding to prolong his stay

Hopefully someday all of the colors on the palate will mix

But this will be no easy issue to fix

We are all racists.

Rebecca, also the artist for this piece, is a 16-year-old VOX staffer from Milton High School who hopes to bring the issue of racism back to the table by stating that everyone is still capable of being a racist. 

Join VOX Dec. 10 for a Teen-led Dialogue

VOXers at The Center for Civil & Human Rights, planning our Dec. 10 event
VOXers at The Center for Civil & Human Rights, planning our Dec. 10 event

Register online here for our teen-led dialogue about race in Atlanta. We welcome any Atlanta-area teen join us for free on Dec. 10, 2-4 p.m., at The Center for Civil & Human Rights (directions here).

We’ll have a poetry open mic, free food. Create art. Record video. Speak up!

You can also mail your original story, poetry or art to media@voxatl.org.

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About VOX ATL

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VOX ATL is Atlanta's home for uncensored teen reporting and self-expression. If you are a teen interested in joining us. Hit us up at editor@voxatl.org....

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