R.E.M ~ Jordan Poole

2

Amari

I'm not the average girl from your video
And I ain't built like a supermodel
But I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be
India.Arie
... When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it's suppose to be
And I know my creator didn't make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes, I'm loving what I see, yeah

I sang along to Video by India.Arie as I stood on a ladder to hang up a few pictures that some of my kids had drawn me.

When I first moved to the bay I started working at a youth center ran by my great auntie Rita. At first I would just tutor some of the kids in math a few times a week, but I loved it some much that I became a teaching assistant to one of the many full time teachers who worked here as well as a counselor.

I always admired how much my Auntie Rita and Uncle Pete gave back no matter how successful they got. Uncle Pete grew up in Oakland and Auntie Rita met him about 40 years ago when she came out to Cali to pursue her art. He started a very successful real estate company, while Auntie Rita became a very well known artist; but her heart was always set on being able to give back. So over the past 20 years they've opened up youth and rec centers with summer, before & after school programs, as well as full time daycares all over the country.

"Suge now you know ya ass is too clumsy to be up on that ladder." Without turning around I flicked off my godsister Halle who I know was grinning at me from the door to the classroom.

"Girl get down before you break ya neck." She poked the back of my leg before sitting on top of my desk. Halle was Auntie Rita and Uncle Pete's granddaughter and my cousin on my mom's side. She had grown up out here in Oakland, but even though she lived all the way on the other side of the country she was still by far one of my favorite cousins. She was the head activities director of the center and was always on the move.

"But now I have you here to catch me," I gave her a sarcastic grin making her flick me back off before I pointed at the last few pictures I had sitting on the desk, "let me hang those up and then I'll be done." She handed them to me and I quickly got them on the bulletin board before stepping off the ladder.

"I'm hungry boopie let's go get some lunch. Brynn and Yazz are waiting for us in the lobby." Brynn and Yazz dads were both my mom's older brothers. We all went to Stanford and have an apartment together near campus. They both worked here with me; Brynn was mainly in the preschool, while Yazz worked in the art department.

Halle hooked her arm through mine and I quickly grabbed my phone and wristlet walking out of the classroom.

We made our way down the hallway of the second floor toward the main staircase that was home to about 20 classrooms and 6 computer labs dedicated to all age groups and all different kinds of subjects.