A Hundred Drums - Intro By Leah Rigsby

Let me tell you a little bit about what it means to be Black in America:

Being Black in America means constantly being judged. By yourself, by strangers, by pop culture, by police, by educators, by authority figures, by everyone.

Being Black in America means being compared to whiteness, and acceptable behavior/language/vernacular defined by whiteness. It means enduring being told""I never would have guessed you were black by the way you talk"" and being expected to take that as a compliment.

Being Black in America means living with a constant fear whispering in your ear. Will someone judge me for the color of my skin? Will someone see me and want me dead for my melanin? It means being told""be safe"" rather than""see you later"" when you leave your parent's house.

Being Black in America means always questioning whether it's appropriate to be yourself. It means staying prepared to dawn the appropriate facade for the appropriate crowd. Don't act""too white,"" don't act""too black."" If you're too loud, you're branded as""ghetto"" or""ratchet"" or""extra"".

Being Black in America means being a novelty and adopting the role of the token Black friend. It means hearing""I'm not usually attracted to Black chicks"" or""you're so sexy for a Black girl"".

Being Black in America means being tagged in posts constantly to validate other people's wokeness. It means taking time out of your day to do the research and relay the message that other people are too lazy to do themselves.

Being Black in America means watching your oppression be whitesplained. It means being told what offends you and having people be vigilante social justice warriors for your causes. It means being turned into a hashtag so unrelated causes get more exposure.

Being Black in America means being told to""get over slavery."" It means having no ancestral lineage because we were stolen from our home and brought to build America, yet we're not allowed to prosper from our own labor.

Being Black in America means having nothing of your own. Our style of dressing, our hair, our music, our lingo. And when we express wanting something uniquely ours, we're met with toxic positivity and told that everything should be equally for everyone after centuries of imbalanced liberty.

Being Black in America means having to argue the point that my life matters.

Being Black in America means being given the shortest month of the year to celebrate our Blackness, and then challenged with""well there's no White History Month, so be happy with what you're given"".

Being Black in America means taking the time to type up what it's like to be Black in America, and wonder if people will actually take the time to read or care about what it's like to be Black in America.

So before you rely on""not everything has to do with race,"" realize your privilege in thinking that statement is true. Because being Black in America means being reminded every day that after 400 years of oppression, equality is barely a topic on people's lips.

Written by:
GABRIELLE WATSON

Publisher:
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave

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