Now, I'm not black
But I'm not white either
I'm somewhere in between

And according to the conversation me and my daddy had the other day,
That means I don't have a say.

It means it's not affecting me.

My daddy told me that I need to think for myself,
My daddy told me I need to think like him and his father
Because he and generations before me lived
Through segregation.

Now I'm not black,
And I'm not white either,
But daddy I AM somewhere in between all of this

Generations before me have seen change
They've seen fists in the air empowering the oppressed
Justice Marching as one, ebony hand in ebony hand,
Fighting so that streets are as colorblind as you aren't.
They've seen the empty seats in the front of the bus,
They've seen little girls walking far too far
just to get a secondhand education
Given to them by politicians who thought
Equality meant separation
Because segregation wasn't Slavery so why are you complaining?

We gave you leaky water fountains
We gave you run down schools
We gave you your own section on the bus
We let you apply to the same jobs that were not planning on giving you
Because let's face it
who wants to see a black face
on the cover of a magazine
Who wants their financial accounts guarded by a black face
Who wants a black face anywhere but in an black apron

Daddy I'm not black but generations before me
Have seen that it takes generations of struggle to
Implement change.
And still, generations before me believe in
Hiding behind bad examples of black men

Daddy you're lucky I'm not black
Because I'd be taking this much more personally if I was
Daddy you're lucky I'm not black
Because if sales women looked at me the way they look at Mikey,
There would be riots in forever 21
There would be blood on pea coats
And I'd drag that ignorant bottle-blonde by her hair
Out the doors and through the streets.
And when the police are called
I would make that woman cry out
That she can't breathe
She can't breathe
She can't breathe

And I bet you they'd shoot me down by the second "I can't breathe"

Because she doesn't have to tell the police 11 times that she can't breathe

Or that she's got a family at home
Or That she has kids to feed
In order for them to value her life,

And I think that Andrew Hawkins is an angel for walking out
Into that football stadium demanding JUSTICE
say it with me, JUSTICE.
Justice is listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing at Mocambo
Justice is watching Willy T Ribs cross the finish line
Justice is the color of Michelle's dress when she walked into the White House
Justice is breaking down walls that separate us based on color.

But the Cleveland police find it pathetic that athletes think they know the law.
When did the law become justice?
And more directly, when did someone's occupation
Dictate whether or not they could stand up to prejudice and racism?
Andrew my brother, you are right
a call for justice shouldn't offend anyone
A call for justice shouldn't warrant an apology.
I apologize that you didn't hear what my president said.
'We the people recognize that we have responsibilities
as well as rights
that our destinies are bound together.
that a freedom which only asks "what's in it for me"
a freedom without commitment to others,
a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism
is unworthy of our founding ideals'.
Who would have thought that a black face would deface
All that your generation worked so hard to create?
And daddy don't tell me to act like not everyone is under attack
you're only saying that because you're not black.