You're reading BAM! Vol. 3, issue 2

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Message from a Neurodivergent Colorful Woman by Traci Neal

Message from a Neurodivergent Colorful Woman
by Traci Neal

In my country, my color

dictates the response to be

negative or positive regardless of

what black people have done

for this nation because my identity,

my condition is not put in history lessons

so others will forget our struggles

from the former days

where cotton picking, brick building

brought oppression to black faces,

then I bleed on my bookshelf.

 

Society divides colors into

categories and creates a past

as if pain becomes progress,

yet my vivacious spirit rejects

all the stereotypes since this scope

makes some scratch their heads.

Still, I am a treasure worth

respecting as I present myself

as a showcase to the world that

my mentality deserves to be in books

and research because

Justice justifies my mouth.

 

America is my country and

my mind meditates on children

of darker shades with labels

placed on them by how they play,

while removing the possibility

they may be distinct for mental reasons,

yet after years of suicides

and silent sufferings, more medical

professionals are searching for core causes.

I wish communities with deeper tones

could come together instead of being

torn apart through status, stamina,

and stage presence.

 

Will the madness ever end for

black women to be unique and not unusual?

May black families learn to

build, not break

lift, not light up guns,

and then the narrative can change

where the colorful female flies

beyond the universe’s beauty standards.

My ambiance is extraordinary,

lively, and passionate.

I position this crown by captivating

eyes consuming my high-class royal stature.

Dismiss the negative.

I am the struggle, the strength, and the stride.

Witness my neurodivergent black life.

Bathe in my playfulness.

 

I have hidden my heart,

shielded my soul.

Now, I stand and speak,

raising my hands in hope.

 

My flavor travels throughout

my mahogany female skin.

I do exist. We do exist.

I am an Autistic, ADHD black woman.

We belong in America.