Damien-Graves - Being a Black Man in America

Being a black man in America
The expectation that I'm something
Someone wants me to be
Assumptions, fears, stereotypes
Of what people choose to see

Trying to feel this black boy joy
In a world that wants to diminish it
Trying to be myself
In a world that views me as just a demographic

The color in my skin makes me feel like
A target is on my back
To be berated with ill will and discriminated
Until I crack

As I'm searching to find myself
In a society that tries to control who I am
My momma preaches to me
Not to become another statistic

Systematic abuse, mass incarceration
That can feel so daunting
Laquan McDonald, Trayvon Martin
These names are haunting

Antoine Rose, Jr., Tamir Rice
Jordan Edwards, Michael Brown
Black boys robbed of ever reaching adulthood
Proclaimed legally justified, as the police stood

Being a black man in America is living in fear

We compose and perform this music
To shout our individuality
Delivering messages that are here to stay
Because self-expression is something
No one can take away

Written by:
Jamal Kemp

Publisher:
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid

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