When we were young, the color of our skin wasn't a divider. I didn't necessarily see color. I saw people. As we grow in this world, this place is far from color blind.

I have started to realize that the color of my skin is sometimes all that people could. I could be a smart intelligent woman, but intelligent for a "black" woman.

Look at how far we have come. Slavery is over. Black and white people are living in this perfect harmony. I look at reality. I look at my family. I ask myself: How can I love a country that doesn't love me?

Every time I hear about another shooting, my heart breaks in half. As black people, we are never given the benefit of the doubt. My skin color makes me different. My skin color sets me apart from everyone else.

I am sick and tired of the shootings. I hate that I feel desensitized to these situations because now it's nothing new. I look at myself and my black brothers and sisters and all I can wonder is what have we done? How could my whole life be accounted for the color of my skin? What does society see in my blackness?

I look back at our history and sometimes you can't help but cry. You just wonder how could anyone treat a human being this way. How could I be inhumane because of the color of my skin? My blackness determines my inferiority.

I shouldn't be scared of police officers. They should not be scared of us either. I want to feel protected in my community. Mostly, as the black community, we have lost faith in the police officers. There is a double standard in society when it comes to treatment of black and white people from police officers.

I look at my home and the community I grow up in, and I'm scared. You never know anymore if one day it will be someone you are close to. I look towards my future and I do not want my children to grow up knowing that they are determined because of their skin color. I don't want to be scared every time out they are out on the streets.

I will forever say black lives matter. I always fight for my people. Racism is still as prominent as ever. Yes, we have reached many milestones, but the journey is far from over.

I want to believe in this country more than I do at this point in time. Being black in America isn't easy. I wonder what people think of me every single day I walk down the street.

The fight is never over for equality. Black history is everyone's history, so please remember what this country is supposed to stand for. Please actually look past the protests and rioting and see that we are hurt. We want change.

We want justice. Most of all we want the support and hope that this country should have given us from the beginning.