I'm Not Just a Nigga

Teach them.

"Ma, I don't want to go to this wack ass school with these wack ass white kids! Why can't I just change schools??" I yell as she makes my breakfast. "Nori West, I have no idea where you have gotten this nasty attitude from but you will not speak to me that way! Do you understand me? And I did not raise you to put titles on people!! Whats so bad about these​ kids anyway, huh?"

"I'm sorry mama. I'm just so sick and tired of being called a nigga."

"Well have you tried teaching em? Give them a good ol history lesson or something. But what you not gonna do is sit up in my house and complain to me bout no white folk. They people just like you. Don't be putting no titles on nobody, you understand me?!" 

I sighed giving up arguing with her as I ate the blueberry pancakes she made for me every school year on the first day. "Okay mama."

My name is Nori. I am 17 years old and I live in Charleston, South Carolina. Home of the KKK. This city almost brainwashed me into believing that I'm less than a white person. Can you believe that? I live in a world of hate and misunderstanding. My mama tries to tell me that all I can do is try to teach them. And that's what I'm gonna try to do.

On July 12, my Dad was shot by a cop for the suspected possession of marijuana. If there's one thing I know about my dad, it's he does NOT do drugs. That's the day hatred grew in my heart. That's the day that I became woke. That's the day that I became scared for my African American Life as a 17 year old.