Who Am I
Boddhi Satva feat. Athenai & C. Robert Walker Lyrics

Hate yourself before hating me
Instead of hating me, take a step back and recognize your own biases and prejudices that lead you to hate.

Don't hate on this hybrid me, do I scare you with my one million and one possibilities
Do not hate me for being different than you, especially when my differences suggest all of the many ways I can contribute to society.

I'm like a rainbow with so many colors more than you can dissect in each other
Just like a rainbow contains many colors, I contain many identities that make up who I am and cannot be dissected individually from one another.

Man I'm confused by your withdrawal, racist words you hate most of all
I am confused about why you continue to use racist language and withdraw from my community instead of trying to understand and accept our differences.

Cause if I recall you can't even search for me bringing religions and technology to a land I once called free
Historically, you did not even have the curiosity to learn about religions and technologies I brought to this country and instead suppressed them because they were different than your own.

You used all them migos to build your dream and your power went so far to your head you decided to taste them and see
You used people from different ethnic backgrounds to build your dreams and gained so much power that you felt entitled to exploit and marginalize them as you saw fit.

But did you realize one day there might ever be a me?
You did not anticipate that, one day, someone like me may come along who challenges your preconceived notions and perceptions of race, identity, and power.

Who am I, tell me who am I, I will be so him and her
I am a multifaceted individual who expresses different aspects of myself in different contexts and situations.

Centuries of oppression you fight to be free, you fought for what we call equality
For generations, my community has fought to break free from oppressive systems and institutions that have prevented us from achieving true equality.

The right to vote, to shop to live free, you fought for the basic needs
We fought for basic human rights, like voting, shopping, and living freely, that you may take for granted as part of your daily life.

And yet one day even the white man found you so pretty that you and he may love but what of those babies?
Society has progressed to a point where interracial relationships are more common, but what happens to the biracial children that result from those relationships?

I am the living proof of your dream of the world that is to you free
As someone who is biracial or multiracial, I embody the ideals of a world where race does not have to dictate who we are or label us as inferior or superior.

You hated being slaved but now I'm being hunted?
You fought against the chains of slavery only to perpetuate systemic oppression towards those who are different than you, including myself.

So is the color of my skin that disgusting, that I'm worth less than your tie-dyed torn-up jeans?
You seem to place more value on a ripped article of clothing than on my worth as a human being simply because of the color of my skin.

So call me at half-past black, white, caramel-coated hybrid of the night
I am a complex and nuanced individual who cannot be defined simply by the color of my skin or any one aspect of my identity.

I finally figured it out, you can't live peacefully, you need to hate and you need to fight and your own blood is good enough to dislike
I realize that your hatred and prejudice stem from your own insecurities and fears and not from anything I have done or said to you.

I guess I should feel lucky I can glide, fly, jump to any side cause I am all over you and you are all in me
I am resilient and adaptable and can navigate different situations with grace and ease because my identity is fluid and ever-changing.

So then next time you want to hate, spit, try to destroy what I stand for, know that you're taking yourself down with me
Your hatred and bigotry do not only hurt me but also harm society as a whole by perpetuating systems of oppression and marginalization.

I won't be a slave in my grave
I refuse to allow myself to be oppressed or enslaved by anyone or anything, including societal expectations and systemic biases.

Don't you know it's all a shame
It is a shame that, despite all of our progress and advancements, we still struggle with issues of racism and inequality.

Can't you see we're all the same, black mother, white father, white mother, black father, Africa, America, girl don't you see we're the same
At our core, we are all human beings with the same basic needs, desires, and emotions, regardless of our race or ethnicity.

Just because my skins a little different color, doesn't mean that we're not from the same mother, Africa, America, Help me, can't you see we're the same?
The color of our skin does not change the fact that we are all part of the same human family and share a common ancestor in Africa.