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Does that badge make you blind to the pain that’s deeply bound

Embedded in our DNA from our ancestors, WE transgress the transgressors

They undressed the best dressers and deflowered our queens

The meaning of “we” is more than you and me

Blue is the color of our skin, and red is the blood

See how much blood you spill, and yet you still pull up 

Scratch that, you honor that

You like that I’m Black because all your mistakes seem to get erased 

So does my culture

Putting minds in shackles, telling us we can put time in capsules 

Why can’t I live 

Why won’t you let me breathe 

It’s a lot things I wanna say  

Like I’m free 

Mentally and physically from your bondage 

Like I’m free 

Spiritually

 All those lies I was taught don’t mean shit to me 

Growing up wishing I knew who I was 

Looking in a mirror at no reflection 

They try to relate, but there’s no correlation 

Stuck in poverty, now Malcolm tryna find out what Cory making 

You see the situations you left me in 

It’s fucked up 

Ain’t no way around it 

Let me breathe

Editor’s note: After the world rose up against the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the summer of 2020, and the rise and visibility of white supremacy extremists, several members of Impact Justice’s California Justice Leaders wrote personal blog posts to reflect on their experiences with the justice system and law enforcement. For the next month, we will publish these stories in partnership with Juvenile Justice Information Exchange.

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