Page 140 - Poems by Alyson Malach - Childhood to Adulthood
P. 140
Stop the Labels
We left behind the old, hurtful words,
Like "coloured people" from a time absurd.
But now we say "people of colour" instead,
Still dividing us by the colour we're fed.
White is a colour, clear as day,
But we don’t label white people that way.
Why should some be boxed and named,
By a label that only brings shame?
Diversity goes deeper than skin,
It’s in who we are, not just where we’ve been.
So why reduce us to a single phrase,
That doesn’t see us in all our ways?
Stop calling me and others like me
"People of colour"—it’s not who we want to be.
It’s your label, not ours, and it’s wrong.
We need new words, where we all belong.
It’s time to change how we speak,
To use words that respect, that don’t make us weak.
See each person for who they are,
Not by their skin, but by their heart, by far.
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