You see my brown skin
And assume I'm a ****.

You see my hijab
And assume I'm a terrorist.

You see the smile on my face
And assume I'm happy.

You hear my words
And assume I'm okay.

But I am not.

Instead I am broken.
Yet I am also strong.

I am dark and rule-following.
I am peaceful and Muslim.

You assume based on
Society's POV.

If you smile
You must be happy.

Fox, CNN, any media
Tells you I am a terrorist.
So the names I get called
And the extra security checks
Are extremely upsetting.

The murders of black folk
Is either considered appropriate
Or it's "black on black crime"
So it's not taken seriously.

Who are you gonna believe
Me or those who don't know me?

My hijab protects me.

Dear america, I am not a terrorist.

Dear america, I am not oppressed.

Dear muslim men, I won’t submit
To what you think is appropriate
For me to do, as a woman

Dear muslim women, we need each other.
This is a sisterhood.

We have to stay strong.

To whom it may concern
God forbid I remove my hijab
But if i ever do, it’s not your place
To attack me
To act like I’m less
Because of it.

To everyone watching and reading
My hijab is a protection
My hijab is a symbol of faith
My hijab is an easy ID, I am a Muslim.

My hijab is a big part of who I am
But again, it does not define me.

I wonder about the people.

I wonder about the first cop
Who beat up a black man.

I wonder about the first student
Who returned with a gun.

I wonder about the first woman
Who was attacked but not believed.

I wonder about the first Muslim
Who showed us a way of life.

Did they know?

Did they have an idea
About the change they would bring
Across the world?

Maybe they thought
It was no big deal.

But now we know
Everything they did
Had an effect on now.

And it changed our lives
From now until the end of time.

February.
28 days
29 on a leap
to learn specifically about me

my people
my past
my present
my future

i relearn stories i’ve heard
every year since 1st grade

martin luther king
rosa parks
malcolm x

do they not realize
we are more than those three names

do they not remember
we built this country, quite literally

do they not see
we are black year round

but how untrue this is
they see, remember, realize

they simply don’t care

i remember
crying
shocked
hearing the news
of trayvon’s death

i remember
crying
pained
seeing the face
of tracy martin on tv

i remember
crying
angry
at the school kids
saying trayvon deserved it

i remember
crying
feeling
everything at once
b/c black lives matter
but no one believed us
and they still don’t

i remember it all.
i was so young.
he was so young.

you are like a snowflake
carefully designed
and unique among many

you brighten my life
like a moon against the night sky
with your family as the stars

it becomes easy to live around you
as though you are a plant
that gives off oxygen
caring for each of us
as if life depended on it

you are like glasses
a guide for me to see the world clearer
through stories
through gifts
through everything i have

these are what first come to my mind
things of love, mini remembrances
that all trace back to you

my love for you
runs deep as a well
and just thinking of you
brings such feeling

joy and pain
and everything between

this is love.

Oh how forgiving You are,
And yet we sin without repentance .

You do are incredibly merciful to us,
And yet we think we are owed everything.

Wee see how bad things are around us,
And yet we complain often.

We pray when we want something,
But when do we pray to appreciate You?

We want You to remember us,
Though You're in the back of our minds.

Oh Allah, make me of those You love,
A true believer.

Please, my Lord.

Ameen.

Watch me.

Watch me walk.
Watch my childhood.
Watch me walk away
From my childhood.

Watch me.

Watch me fight.
Watch me closely.
Watch me closely as I fight.
For justice.

Watch me.

Watch me scream.
Watch me hide.
Watch me take cover
From the guns you try to protect.

Watch me.

Watch me Tweet.
Watch me repost.
Watch me share the stories
Of more black men killed by police.

Watch me.

Watch me pray.
Watch me closely.
Watch me mouth the prayers
Begging God for protection.

Watch me.

Watch me change.
Watch me grow up.
Watch me grow up too fast
Scared I'll be killed any day.

Watch me.
Am I still a threat?
A terrorist or ****?
What am I?

Shoot first,
Ask later.

But how much is later?
Is it when he's dying on the sidewalk?
Is it when she's had a miscarriage
After the bullet lodged in the stomach?

Their adrenaline pumping.
"I can't breathe" he tries,
While cops hold tight
To the belief that they have a right
To choose who lives and dies.

Hand on the gun
Gun in the holster
"Hand's up", they yell.
Good behavior wasn't enough
To keep him out of a cell?

America is "Land Of The Free"
But only if he's white.
Only if he's male.

We've seen what people of color had.
Women's break was a tough one.
Muslims get a bad rep and anyone else
Is against us, America.

This is where we live.

Shoot to harm,
Only if in danger.

Ask questions,
Justified ones.

Whatever you do,
Be fair.