Congratulations to Teia Hudson, the winner of the Philadelphia School District’s 2022 oratorical contest. Ms. Hudson is a senior at the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber. Her winning essay entitled, “Dear Society,” squarely focuses on racism in America from the perspective of a young African American woman.
In the fall, Ms. Hudson will be a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania with a full-ride scholarship.
Funtimes salutes Ms. Hudson and all our young and gifted graduates!!!!!


Dear Society
by Teia Hudson

Why do I have to be in your image?
What’s wrong with the way I am?
Why is it that “I’m a young black woman that isn’t according to plan?”
Oh, she’s smart, she’s not like the others
I’m justified as “black” because African-American men are shooting their brothers It’s hard to make myself stand out in a crowd full of white kids that shout
“I’m not that rich”
The money fixes their problems,
But what about me?
A minority
I have little sense of security
I’m competing with the superiority
Because I’m black.
Do my looks bother you?
My skin caramel rich
Eyes are honey-dipped
Hips so curvy, it makes their skin itch! Hair so wavy it flows like the ocean But it’s not even wet
Getting cat-called at age 16
But I’m sure I ain’t even see the half yet Because I’m black.
Do you see the issue now?
The issue with being black?
Cops feel threatened even if a black man has his hands behind his back And it’s whack.
Why should oppression fix a problem the oppressors created?
Do you need it translated?
We sit down, we’re too quiet
We protest, We’re too loud
We stand up, we’re too rebellious
We make a speech, we’re too damn proud
So what the hell is allowed?
It’s because I’m black.
But, as a people, how do we heal?

 Heal from what once was taken Heal from the fact that my ancestors were left bruised and shaken
How do we heal from what once was A
family
A
culture
A
mother
A
daughter
Has been turned into
Stealing
And
Slaughter
How do we
Recover and
Rebuild
What wasn’t made for us
From what came from our hands
So skilled
And to what left us unfulfilled
in which we were killed
To your convenience,
you took what wasn’t rightfully willed And left us billed
with the burden of surviving
I hope you can see that I’m not some barbie
I’m a young black woman trying to make a change
Just get it into your brains!
That my skin color will be praised someday!
And not just for the butt and thighs
Because the community tells lies that keep me from growing...
But I will arise society Don’t pity me. Because I’m black.

 Karen Warrington has had a decades long career as a broadcast journalist, communications professional, performing artist, and documentary filmmaker. She has traveled extensively throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. She is committed to being a voice for the African Diaspora. 

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