A Letter To My Generation

A Letter To My Generation

To Whom It May Concern,

Now is the time! Hear my voice and understand I speak to my generation and all generations that may be similar. Now is the time! Throw your excuses out of the window. Cast your fears aside. Now is a time, if ever there was one, to believe in yourself. The phrase “Anything Is Possible” is a staple in many lives now. And I urge my generation NOT TO RUN AWAY FROM IT. Rather, I encourage you all to embrace it. Better yet, I dare you to. I dare you to challenge yourself. Get off the corners. Get in school. Educate your minds. There is so much you can learn about yourself and what you are capable of just by being in the environment of education. Now is the time! President Barack Obama stands for more than just bragging rights for a culture. He represents the history of a people that have come a long way to say the least. Understand his story. His courage. His determination. His mission. His message. Understand that you are just as much apart of the history of your people as President Barack Obama is. I myself haven’t always been the motivated and inspired young man I am today. I admit I gave into the comforts of taking life for granted. Not going to school. Wasting time. Wasting money. But just as these words will ring clear in someone’s ears. The words of Barack Obama woke me up from my self imposed slumber. The echoes of so many forgotten souls began to become clearer. Voting for a Black President gave me a different sense of pride. I chose knowledge over arrogance. Passion over rage. Understanding over stubbornness. I Say It Loud: I’m Black and I’m proud! My vision is getting clearer. I am now starting to see what it means to hold the power of my fist in the air for all to see. I’m here. We’re here. I say again: Now is the time! Motivate yourself. Inspire others. In these hard times the best investment that we, as a young generation, can make; is in ourselves. Not in the cars. Not in the clothes. Not in the jewelry. But in our minds. In our spirits. Developing an understanding of where we come from, where we are, and where we can go from here. My dear generation. We are young. But we are strong. Now is the time! The foundation was laid for us. Now all we have to do is continue to build up this legacy. Continue to build up this strength. We’ve come so far. But we haven’t finished yet. President Barack Obama is just the beginning. You’re next in line. Be strong. Be focused. Be proud. Now is the time!

Sincerely,

[this poem was written in Feb. 2009]