“Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class” (2020) by Clint Smith | TED-Ed.

"You, it seems,

are the manifestation

of several lifetimes

of toil. Brown v. Board

in flesh. Most days

the classroom feels

like an antechamber.

You are deemed expert

on all things Morrison,

King, Malcolm, Rosa...weren’t you sitting

on that bus, too?

You are every-

body’s best friend

until you are not.

Hip-hop lyricologist.

Presumed athlete.

Free & Reduced sideshow.

Exception and caricature.

Too black and too white

all at once. If you are

successful it is because

of affirmative action.

If you fail it is because

you were destined to.

You are invisible until

they turn on the Friday

night lights. Here you are

star before they render

you asteroid. Before they

watch you turn to dust." |

An animated interpretation of Clint Smith's poem "Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class"