When Do I Matter?

Ta’Kiya Young

Breanna Taylor

Sandra Bland

Ma’Khia Bryant

When will my name matter?

When will the killings stop?

Will my kids outlive me?

Why does my mere existence threaten people?

Why am I being punished for looking different?

How come the “allies” are so blind to what’s in front of them?

It’s all so performative, the rallies, the marches, the “outrage”

But when I mention my concerns to these same people…crickets

Allies are not real

You should not need a fancy title to be a good person

Anyone who feels they do are not in it for humanity, they’re in it for their ego

Why don’t I matter?

Why don’t Black Lives Matter to you?

Why are you all so triggered by hearing “Black Lives Matter”

Most of you immediately follow up with well “All Lives Matter”

Do you tell cancer patients that diabetics matter too?

Be so forreal, it is hard merely existing in America at this point

Black men on podcasts dogging out single moms

White men fetishizing Black women

Black women tearing other Black women down

White women pretending to be saviors

And all the other brown folk cracking up just glad it’s not them

Existing in America as a Black woman is exhausting and I don’t want to do it anymore

BUT

My kids need me

So here we are

But, when do I matter?

Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/girls-spending-time-at-a-tree-house-8523182/