Brown is…

Brown is…
Brown is
Me being petrified of the campus police and my white friends “assuring” me
they’re not gonna do anything at a campus like this
I look down at my skin and know otherwise
Brown is
People asking my Bangladeshi friend where he’s from
and quickly responding with a No, where are you really from?
when he says Texas
Brown is
Mexican babies being starved and put in cages
simply for wanting to exist freely in this country
America sees this and turns a blind eye
Brown is,
My Muslim friend getting surprise checks and stern looks from TSA agents
every time she goes to the airport
Brown is,
Universities across the country priding themselves on having
African American and Latin American!
studies departments
when really,
This just means they wouldn’t have taught our histories otherwise
Brown is a lot of things,
None of which are white
Which is maybe why
We’re just othered as “of color”
Which is maybe why
Our bodies are seen as less smart
Less beautiful
Less valuable
Less worthy of being
alive
But mostly,
Brown is
putting on a brave face and lifting up your brothers and sisters despite all of this

Mostly,
Brown is
knowing this country wasn’t intended for you
but building a home here anyway