In my lifetime...

Hey y’all.. I have been blessed with many opportunities to be able to talk about things that I am so super passionate about. My goals that I have for my life and goals that I have for the future of this world and the community I live in.


I have been toiling with this thought. In our grandparent’s generation there was a common phrase “not in my lifetime,” as in there were social changes that they couldn’t imagine happening in their lifetime. I think that as a society we have adopted this phrase as some sort of way of life and the end all of our experiences. I was talking to a friend, Tania. She and I were talking about the state of the community, in particular the Black community. We see that the Civil Rights movement was our big power play. But since then, we have been somewhat complacent and dependent on that history that we don’t see the power that we possess BECAUSE of that history. What do I mean, we hold on to the Civil Rights movement as a badge of honor- and rightfully so, but I think as a community, I think we also hold onto that as our only example of the greatness we can become, instead of using that history to push forward other movements. We use phrases like “ I don’t think I’ll see a Black President in my lifetime.” “Racism will not end in my lifetime etc.” But, can’t we be proud of what we HAVE seen in our lifetime. I am about to be 26 years old. I have seen the release of Nelson Mandela from a prison in South Africa, I have seen a President apologize for the past transgressions of the United States to African Americans and other people that have been oppressed in this country. I have lived through one of the most tragic experiences that the world has faced, one that completely shaped the way I think about what we need to do as a country and a world. I have been blessed enough, to be blessed by Bishop Desmond Tutu. I have been blessed enough to meet many of the movers and shakers of the Civil Rights movement- to thank them for the choices they made, and for the conclusion that they came to that SOMETHINGS CAN HAPPEN IN OUR LIFETIME! I have lived through Women taking over in political positions, I have lived through the United States electing the first person of color as President, I have also lived through a real contender for President that was female.

There are so many things that we can be proud of, some many things that we can all be excited to have been able to see in our lifetime, things that would ultimately, in my opinion give us the hope that there are many things that we can do. But I feel that as a community we are so jaded, we are so wrapped up in the constant tragedy of our story, that we can’t look past the muck to see that we have so much beauty and power to give to each other, to ourselves and to the world.

I beg of my generation to not make statements like “not in my lifetime.” But to use statements instead-- “in my lifetime.” As in these are things we can accomplish in my lifetime. We are a strong people, there are so many of us who are making moves in the world to make it a better place. While we do not have an organized movement as I would like. We do have so much to give the world and we need to hold on to that faith that we can do something great.

So I guess I would like to start with me.. .what things would I like to see in my lifetime.. I expect that before I die young Black males are no longer an endangered species in the United States, I expect that we will have elected a Female President, a Latino President, more openly gay politicians. I expect that we cut poverty significantly down. I expect that we end world hunger, I expect that we have for the first time an open discussion on race, on the effect of colonialism throughout the world and have a better conversation on how we can bridge the gaps. I expect that the Black community look inside themselves to make changes around them and not wait for the “one” leader to rise up again. I expect that we all use the greatness that is inside of us and make differences in the world around us, even if they are small..

I expect that we don’t give up, that we fight for a better tomorrow because it’s not only about how we live today, but what we leave behind. I want my niece, my nephews, my goddaughter to know that the world is truly at their fingertips, they are not too big or too small to take responsibility for what we do as a human race and that they have the power to change it… IN MY LIFETIME!!

That's all she wrote..