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Hi. I’m Kennedi, and I want to talk to you about children. A child is a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority. According to this definition, each and everyone of us is or was a child at some point, but I believe thatno matter the age, we are all still children. Here’s why: we all belong to someone or something. Unfortunately, some only have the opportunity to belong to society, a system. Within the black community, all its members are bound to a systemically racist one, regardless of any persons they may belong to. I am a young black girl from South Central, Los Angeles—a place where you have to grow up quickly if you want to go far—and I often say that I am black before anything else. Growing up, as much as I hate to admit it, I felt that my blackness was a burden. This idea didn’t come from nowhere, it came from the constant pressures that the people around me placed on me to push harder than any of my peers. I’ve always known that as a young black woman, I’d have to instill a certain discipline within myself and practice everlasting perseverance if I wanted to make it as far as the white man. But, if I’m honest, that task in itself was difficult because of the hardships to come. I can’t say that I had the worst childhood or a loveless existence considering how close-knit my family was, but I was always surrounded by hurt. They say hurt people hurt people, and I noticed that every single person that I loved was hurt, so I inherently learned to take on the pain of others. I realized very young that the pain that was inflicted upon many black parents throughout their lives was projected upon their children, whether it was with their hands or their words. I, like many others, was never given any formal opportunity to repair these harms so I wouldn’t have access to a tool that could help me heal my wounds and scars. Therapy. It’s not just sitting across from someone you don’t know and allowing them to dictate your future decisions to change your experiences, it’s a chance to understand the root of who you are and how that self love is the key to paving the way for yourself. I believe that we need access to tools for healing the trauma of growing up black in this country. This lack of access to self care structures and places for healing has been one of the largest contributors to pain within the colored community generation after generation.

Even without it, we try not to let trauma get the best of us. We, the Black Children of America, reside in a world where people don’t understand us, yet we are still grounded enough to have empathy. For many consecutive years, someone around me would die, from cousins to uncles to friends. When I really think about it, most of them were black men. One of my uncles tragically lost his life due to gun violence—so did my cousin. It’s quite discouraging because it taught me that no matter how much love I pour into someone, they could be gone in a heartbeat. But that lesson also taught me how to love and cherish people unconditionally becauseno amount of time is promised. I also lost an uncle to a heart attack. Poor health is another major issue in the colored community, but that also stems from limited resources. This may feel all too familiar to you because you’ve probably encountered this in your lifetime.

But black child, keep your head up. I understand that the challenges you face can make you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but I don’t want you to live your life in constant fear. A life lived in fear can befar from fulfilling, but you must conquer that fear and know that you can rise above what they say about you—what the system says about you. Many of you have been locked up, confined by the chains that the white man’s ancestors so effortlessly calculatedto oppress us for eternity. But your flawless genetic makeup will allow you to break those chains and make it past the finish line that supremacists designed for you. Beautiful black child, keep your determination. You will be protected so long as you continue to strive for greatness. You’ve had to be strong your entire life—you were built for it. Remember that you created all, and while you must continue to humble yourself because of it, it’s okay to occupy confidence despite what you’ve learned from thehistory books. To all my black children who have experienced great loss, I appreciate you for never letting it stop your hustle. Our ancestors have been through it since the beginning of time, yet we’re still here fighting for our freedom. Remember how amazing you are for still having the fight left in you after all these years. Magnificent black child, nothing can break you. You can still turn your dreams to reality. You may have started last in the race, but you can finish first. Remain steady and sturdy. You know deep down that your only competition is yourself. Make your ancestors and your family proud by doing what you know you were destined for. Better. Allow yourself to heal the child within you who was oblivious to the struggles you would encounter.Prove to them that those dreams you originally had without limits are still possible. Don’t allow the existing system to control you. You must do everything in your power to belong to someone, and not something. That someone is you. Black child, you are love, you are patience, you are respect, you are persistence, and you are excellence. I love you and I appreciate you. Forever.

-K