Letter from a Black Woman to Her Beloved Country on the Occasion of its Birthday
July 4, 2020
Happy Birthday America.
I still have faith in you. Despite –
All the times a White person has called me n — —
All the people who think I’m “so articulate”
The dude who suggested, during class, that I was only admitted to that school because of “affirmative action” (thank you again, empathetic law professor, for letting me know I earned the highest grade in class)
The bosses who, in their hearts, don’t really believe a Black woman could have something valuable to contribute (unless she’s doing the work no one else wants to be bothered with)
The folks who mistook me for the secretary when I’m the opposing counsel they’re waiting to meet
Being pulled over for no reason
The White girl who fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident and then told the police — whom I called — that she felt threatened by me (nice try sis)
All the salespeople who remark “Oh — you want to buy this?” before I hand them the type of Amex I’ll bet they seldom see
All the people who assume I’m the housekeeper when I open my front door
The kindergarten teacher who, daily it seemed, treated my 5-year old as less-than (thank you, caring adults, for telling me it wasn’t all in my head, that you saw it too)
The parents of the White kids who repeatedly called my 10-year old “cocoa puff” at school (thank you, teachers and administrators, for nipping that nonsense in the bud)
This is my life. You are my country. America, I haven’t given up on you.
