[Spoken Word]

There is always a story

And there is always a storyteller

One who must make a choice

Whether to tell the tale with truth as his only objective

Or to inject falsities and withhold knowledge for personal motives

For lifetimes, we've been force-fed false stories of our identities

By storytellers who seek to see us divided, discouraged

And defeated utterly

They told lies and formеd stereotypes

As thеy predetermined and formulated the paths of our lives

Cast us into roles we never sought to audition for

We were roped in to realities that were planned

Long before our thoughts were ever formed

A red line drawn boldly

Around the perimeters they intended for us to go

And no further than that red line should we have ever known

But we, we wipe it away

And create for ourselves a blank page, a clean slate

Clear of any limitations or boxes

Watching as the sun goes down on tired narratives

New life is breathed into older relatives

As the next generation proudly claims their heritage

And I do not say this with arrogance

But my bloodline is not comparative

For it is the sweet songs of my mother that I have inherited

And the unwavering courage of my sisters who refuse to be dispirited

The promise of future daughters reaching successes unmerited

As harmful cycles go unrepeated

And your expectations unthinkably exceeded

For we truly are undefeated