Artist Statement
The pieces "To Be Black" and "On Being Afraid to Wake Up in the Morning" describe my feelings as a black woman in today's world. They show the fear and anxiety that I feel in the face of police brutality and systemic racism. Despite this, I know that I am not alone, and I can draw strength in those around me who are also fighting.
​
To Be Black
by Lauren Nash
To be black in America is to cry
To be black in America is to always wonder why
Wonder why having black skin is an excuse
Wonder why having black skin is a target
Wonder why being black is less than
Wonder why being black is dangerous
Is Suspicious
To be black is to be perpetually unwelcome
To be hated, ridiculed, and abused
To be black is to find familiarity in the numbness felt after another black death
Another black murder
Another death with no justice
To be black is to be unwelcomed in the neighborhood you’ve lived in your whole life
Constantly aware of eyes watching
Looking for a sudden movement
Looking for reaching hands
Looking for an excuse
That excuse will then justify the acquittal
There will be marches, riots, protests
There will be anger, frustration, and strong-willed determination
To be black is to learn how to bounce back
How to persevere
How to comfort
How to organize
How to pick yourself back up
Tell yourself you belong in this country despite what you see around you
To be black is to tell yourself that you are still human even though those around you treat you as though
you are not
​
​
​
On Being Afraid to Wake Up in the Morning
by Lauren Nash
Wake up with eyes squeezed shut
Afraid to open
Afraid to see
Wake up to another hashtag
Wake up to another death
Unarmed black man dead
Unnamed black woman dead
Shot and killed
Suffocated
A new murder
A new killing
A new hashtag
#Justicefor
Fill in the blank
Go to bed at night praying for the killing to stop
Go to bed hoping to wake up in a better world
A fair world
A world where black people have rights
Are treated as human
Go to bed
Wake Up
No justice
Ever