First and foremost, I am a writer. A good question to ask, then, is why. Why choose a less than lucrative career? Why commit myself to pouring hearts across paper pages that may never be read? I wish the answer were simple. It is not.

I know I have something to say. I have always been the loud, outspoken kid. I like sharing my stories, ideas, and opinions. What makes this fact important is that I have rationalized such behavior into channels of change. I have witnessed and learned of too much injustice in the world to remain silent. Forces must be put at play to combat the tides of hate and ignorance washing against domestic and foreign shores alike. If necessary, I will be that force. I write to combat what I believe needs to be fought.

Secondly, I aim to educate and make aware. I sincerely believe the only remedy to the modern condition is education. Pivotally, if one is unaware of a problem, one cannot work to solve it. In writing, I seek to make causes apparent. My work will serve as a flare, drawing attention to that which requires support. I will know I have succeeded when my readers then act to fight the same battles.

Thirdly, I strive to influence. I was once told art is not for the sake of those in the choir or those that seek to silence singers, but instead for those who sit in the audience, undecided. I would much prefer a world of singers than one of silencers. Thus, I raise my voice high to encourage others to join me in melody.

These three factors-- to speak, educate, and influence-- compromise the driving force of my composition. I wish to say something worth saying, and for it to be heard. In this sense, I want to be both literarily and commercially successful as a writer—a combination that is, unfortunately, rare in the realm of writing. However, I have never been known to be common. If anyone is capable of achieving both, I have decided it will be me.

So what do I fight for? Equity in terms of race, color, class, sex, and sexuality, primarily. I am aware that is a lot to ask. Which is why I demand it. Not only do I write to make my voice heard, I write to encourage other voices to be heard. Indeed, if someone can write my ideas better, I encourage them to put me out of the job. However, the only way for all voices to be heard is with true equity. Personal factors that are assigned without choice should not be determinants of success, happiness, or ability in life. Being born black should not predicate an early death. Being born a woman should not predicate a submissive life. Being born poor should not predicate remaining poor. Voices shall not go unheard.

Thus, I write.

If more people realize these ideas to be true, then we will be able to create a society that lives in truth. My work will be dedicated to spreading such ideas to as large an audience as humanly possible. I will not be done with the fight, even when I die. Literature, I believe, is the truest form of immortality. My words can last forever. And, if this is, in fact, reality, I will be able to influence the world even from the afterlife. Then, I can rest easy.

First and foremost, I am a writer. This is the weight I have chosen to carry in life. It is my responsibility to affect the world for the better. I was not asked to shoulder such a burden; it is something I gladly tug along. No matter how heavy the weight may grow, I will keep moving. My pen will never cease, my typing fingers will always ache, my racing mind will forever surge forward. There is work to be done. I will do it.