By Rolanda Raymond
It is well-known that women have gone through plights to be on equal status with men; however, it is still not achieved. There are still prejudices and discriminatory acts against women in many areas such as work and school. We all have much to learn on equality and tolerance, but something small can make the biggest effect.
How hard is it to erase centuries of unforgettable history
Of fighting and struggling to tell an untold story
An invisible band around our mouths
That stifles words of wisdom, our only option to shout
Yet it’s heard as barely a whisper, suffocated under an illusion
That all is fair, thus operating with the false conclusion
Of “thank God almighty we are free at last”
But privilege, oppression, power, are not things of the past
The presence of inequality has become so cunning
So clever and overt that it’s actually quite daunting
The scariest of all is what lies underneath
What’s on my exterior may not represent what’s beneath
Causing us to wonder the reasons by others action
Painfully fighting or ignoring the obvious temptation
To ask, is it because I’m black… a woman...an immigrant?
Playing close attention to find subtle hints
Let it be known that there needs to tolerance
Or is it known and individuals choose reticence?
Nurturing, caring, gentle, inferior to a male
Is that your definition of a female?
Strong, aggressive, tough, able to fend
Are those abilities reserved for men?
Am I abnormal for wanting to be competitive?
Unable to use the opportunity to freely live
In a society where I am not passed over
Because of happenings I have no control over
E pluribus unum, our supposed motto
But is that what we really follow
