Fatma

I’ve been thinking about the lyrics in the song “Heard ’Em Say,” by Kanye West. My favorite parts are: “Before you ask me to get a job today / Can I at least get a raise on a minimum wage?” and “Things we see on the screen are not ours /… / But they can’t cop cars without seein’ cop cars / I guess they want us all behind bars. I know it.” This song shows me of how distant dreams can be from reality. It reminds me of how the go-to mantra for a kid is “believe in your dreams!” But once they’re adults, they find out that it’s not that easy. But just because it’s difficult to do so, doesn’t mean it’s not possible. This is a big dilemma for me that my brain is almost always trying to process: If you see me sitting in silence, I’m either thinking about this scenario or singing the lyrics of Spice Girls “Say You’ll Be There,” in my head.

I’ve also been getting emotional over the treatment of black people, not only in America, but all over the world. Although I live in the UK, I constantly see the names of Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland and it hurts my heart to see how unsafe and backwards our society is. We can’t bring these people who were killed by officers abusing their power and status back.

Although it is most probably unlikely, I would love to live in a peaceful world. It doesn’t seem like much to ask for. Sometimes, I forget that I live on a planet, which is in space. Thinking about it makes me feel…nostalgic. ♦