I am somebody,
        Black though I may be.
        I am somebody,
        Because God made me.
        It's up to me, not to you,
        What I'll be, or what I'll do,
        For the rest of my life.
        I am a young, Black American,
        And I am somebody!

*******

This poem was written for my
elementary students to encourage them
to be the best that they could be
regardless of their skin color.
I try to help them to understand that
regardless of the challenges in their lives,
it's really up to them how they turn out.