I stand with you
When I was a child in Sunday school and my peers said
I was the color of poop
Little did I know how deep my skin color meant to me
When my mom was speaking in our native tongue, Urdu, and someone said to speak English
Little did I know how much my culture meant to me
When I was told I wouldn’t find a husband because I stay out in the sun
Little did I know how much my skin color didn’t matter to the right one
When I grew up and felt like a novelty
Little did I know what my ethnicity meant to me
When I heard my fellow South Asians were beaten and told to go back from there they “came from”
Little did I know what home meant to me

All of the struggles we are facing, and some more than others, are sad and sometimes brutal
I have learned that even in the worst of times
humanity can get worse
I have learned to embrace my skin color, heritage, and culture,
despite the eurocentric preferences within my culture
Despite the hardships faced in this country
I can only hope that we can feel so confident in our own skin and feel worthy of love and respect, and that we receive it in return
I stand with you

– Sophia