JET Magazine's video: Dear Black Girls Poem

Spoken word poem read by a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School that caused her to be denied entrance to prom and put her graduation walk in jeopardy. Full poem below and read the story on JETmag.com: "My complexion is beautiful you see look at me I love my full lips. the plumps ones the ones that express the power of love and the ones to curse the ills of society Stand up -I love my mocha flavored skin, that's golden when the sun hits it and sparkles when tickeled by the snow. That tastes so good among the many flavors of black women. A variety. You will never understand how it feels to walk this Earth as a black woman. Do you know how it feels to be hated for the best part of you? the world don't love us we don't love us no one loves us. The beauties, the curses, and the burdens I am writing The black woman burden My burden, the burden that makes it okay for me to think I'm better because my skin is one shade lighter than a chocolate bar, a little lighter than than black girl afar. No respect, so how can we sit here and learn to love ourselves when our brothers don't even love us HA, you only feeling me when my chocolate skin is shining with coconut oil flexing with my tits out on Twitter, now you got the with them wack heart eyes I see you brother That's when u love dark skin broads Then u turn around and ask me if I'm mixed because u think I'm fine like you didn't know black girls aged like wine Yall love those that aim to look like us, but can't even come close, I'm sorry Sisters, black women, Dear black girls Your mind is filled with self hate, and emotion but let me tell you brown girl You are one of a kind And you need to shine Love yoself cus they don't Catch yoself cus the world won't I am writing and You deserve to have it all I'll catch you if fall, dear black girl, sisters There is power in your melanin That melanin, sun kissed from the sun, Melanin that they're tanning to get a piece of again, I'm sorry, dear black man Brothers, nigga? Kim K wearing you like an accessory, be conscious black man You got that severe skin complex and u starting to lose Don't shut me up now I'm only beginning Have my back, I'll keep you from sinning Just know you're not alone, because I am writing A story that'll keep you covered so Sisters, dear black girls That nappy hair covers a brain with so much intelligence and what Drake say? Own it. Far from average You speak so eloquently You speak so right You speak so white Back handed compliments I speak so eloquently Does that mean my sisters don't speak eloquently? And if she don't what does it matter to you Gotta lil flavor in my words. You prolly didn't know that Ebonics doesn't equal intelligence And you prolly don't know that black girls can do both CROSS That's the black girl you recognize , but let me tell you about the black girl I know. I know those black girls The one that was the first African-American woman to be elected for the US senate I know those black girls that could tell you that pi equals 3.14159265359 When all you could tell that black girl was that her thighs were mighty fine I know those black girls That led hundreds of y'all to freedom only to turn around and be placed on a dub Ya know Harriet Tub? That little black girl that didn't let the stares and slurs stop her from attending school The little black girl that took that very education she learned from that school And beat that white man to space Now they got black girls ruling the universe Ruling the universe, we've ruled the world We come from Egyptian queens Amina, the queen of Zaria A warrior Candace, the queen of Ethiopia African empress Makeda, the Queen of Sheba The epitome of beauty and power King Soloman said so Nefertiti, the queen of ancient kemet Civilization The land of the blacks Nandi, the queen of Zululand Patience and hard work, dear black girls, can't you see All these women So much poise, and so much class, a little sass, not too much (ass) I'm just saying Sisters, dear black girls We will measure up to them, in fact We'll surpass everything they thought We wouldn't be And I'll keep writing To let you know Reclaim those spaces and those faces and squeal in black joy. Be free, my brothers & my sisters. We lag: Hashtag melaninmondays and and CROSS Black Girl"