If I should have a son
I will teach him to be kind
And I will never perpetuate the stereotype
Of toxic masculinity
by telling him
that real men don't cry.
If I should have a son
I'd teach him wrong from right
Hitting a women is wrong
Raping a women is wrong
But love no matter who for is always right
If I should have a son
I'd want him to know what it's like to live free
And to never live scared or in fear
Of everything in this world that terrifies me
But if he's ever frightened that's ok too,
and it doesn't make him weak
I would want to tell my son
not to live in fear of the police
And that if an officer is to stop him on the street
He should just cooperate
they are not his enemy
But instead I will teach him
If you find yourself being followed
find the most well populated street
So the next time I see you isn't on news, FOX, CNN, ABC
If you are pulled over in your car thrown to the ground
Always remember the number 510-562-8493
Direct line to the NAACP
If I should have a son
I will teach him he is his sister's protector
The ones he doesn't know
Just as much as the ones born of me
And if I should have a daughter
I will teach her to be her brothers keeper
If I should have a daughter
I will tell her that she is Isis
That she is more breathtaking than the Northern lights
And that the sun sets on her last waking breath every night
And that before her i didn't know joy
Because she is the light of my life
I would teach her the importance of speaking her mind
Not to hide her ideas and her feelings
To use her voice for self expression
And that the bass in her voice is just an adaptation
Of her oppression
From years and years of women not being heard
Say everything you need to say
the way that I wouldn't
Be brave and bold and loud, t
he way that I couldn't
If I should have a daughter
I would tell her not to let anyone make her hate the color of her skin
To hate the chocolate, caramel, mocha delight of her caramel complexion
And don't let anyone try and tell you your worth
As the mother and the creators of this earth
Don't let them tell you are not worth more that how fast
You can get on MTV or BET and shake that ass
This is for a little black boy and little black girl I love but I've never met
A community there in that's hurt and bruised and broken
A group they're a part of but have never chosen
My son nor my daughter will have ever asked to be black,
Like they didn't ask to be ripped away, torn away from a home that they would never get back
Struggling, fighting, gasping for air to stay alive in a country that could give a damn if they die
All of this violence and pain to prove a point we're expendable and we're useless
When the real truth is we built this country
On our sun burnt, raw repeatedly whipped, backs
But still they try eradicate or take everything that is black
My children will never have to ask who is Marcus Garvey
Who is Harriet Tubman
Because they will not celebrate black history only once a year
Their ancestors weren't slaves for just a month
The civil rights movement didn't last for just a month
Police brutality wasn't for just a month
It took years to modify segregation
And I will not confine their black education
To 28 days
If I should have a daughter
Whether or not she has an earthly father
She'll have my protection,
And he will always know that he's loved
If I should have a son
