To be a Black Boy is to belong to a people with a history so glorious, four hundred years of black degradation could not blot it from the annals of human history.
That littered on the path to the heart of my continent are the hearts of mortals made immortal; valiant heroes who gave their souls to build the African dream.
That within my genes, born together with the drama that is me, is the ability to pick myself up after a battle, dust myself up and go win the war.
That when I was stripped, flogged and mutilated, I spat in the faces of my oppressors, stinging their eyes with the same ardor with which they flicked their whips.
That I am a thread somewhere in the colorful regal tapestry of blood, sweat and tears held together by the iron will to persistently own my space.
That the color of my skin is a crown of splendor and I am the truest evidence that black don’t crack.
That I belong to people baptized in melanin, honey, chocolate and a mixture of all three.
That when I love, I love fiercely and unconditionally, passionately and proudly.
That I don’t have to hide in the shadows of shame, insecurity and inadequacy forced upon me,but to bask in the sun of knowing my worth and living my truth.
That in my darkest moments, I am comforted by the voices of those before me, calling out to me, singing to me, revealing the days of future past to me.
That I embrace tribal diversity and use it as a tool for social integration; homogeneity within heterogeneity.
That racial segregation, ethnocentrism and xenophobia will hold me back from becoming tomorrow’s person.
That I recognise that the artistic expression of my blessed culture is the catalyst for the global revolution waiting to happen.
That my hopes and dreams for my land are much bigger than myself, that they are as large as life.
That I am united with my brothers and sisters in the diaspora in the faith of our past and the hope of our future.
That I hold onto the hope that the glory of Africa is rising, though slowly, but it is rising
That my spirit is never broken and the reins of my soul never dominated by any man.
To be a Black Boy is to be free and truly free…
Truly free…
Free.