Go ahead and judge me...

I write the following stanzas in an effort to make sense of something that happened to me this weekend.

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Go ahead…look at me

I know I am different. Aren’t we all?

Look at my Caribbean skin tone; my curly hair

Go ahead…listen to my accent

Can you figure out where I come from?

…not from any region of the continental United States

“Hello…” did I say it right?

Go ahead…judge

I do not blame you

Perhaps one of my ethnic counterparts did something bad to you

Maybe you heard on the news that one of my ethnic counterparts broke the law

But, did I break the law?

Did I do something bad to you?

Go ahead…judge my persona based on my ethnic background

I understand

Perhaps you grew up with friends and family members who had a similar cultural and ethnic background

Judge me…it’s fine

I understand you might no be used to racial and ethnic diversity

I hope my presence shows you a different side of the world you are not familiar with

“Hello…”my hair is a mix of Indian Taino, African slave, and Spanish noble

My skin tone is naturally tanned by the Caribbean sun  

 I come from an island in the middle of the Caribbean with a rich history; fertile lands that produce fruits, vegetables, and starches; where individuals have a thousand stories to tell

I understand you might have grown up in a region of the country, or a household where principles of ethnic, racial, and cultural injustice were passed on to you

But, may I suggest something?

Do not judge me by “the color of my skin,” my hair, or foreign accent; rather by the “content of my character”

I hope that none of my ethnic counterparts judge you wrong--based on what some of your ethnic counterparts have done to them

Go ahead…now think

Am I who you thought I was based on my front cover?

Nice to meet you sir