“Wakanda Forever” by Francesca Kyanda is an inspiring piece that drew in my heart and led me to see the world through a different lens. Francesca draws comparisons between reality and false tales, claiming that African Americans are still fighting to be perceived as equals in today’s world. She not only backs this up with statistics and facts, but also references one of her own experiences, making this piece so gripping. Francesca recalls a boy in her English class, whom she references as Dylan, and how he teased her because of her Poe Dameron binder. This is, of course, not nice but also not awful. Until he smacked his forehead and said, “A black person cannot like a Mexican.” Francesca concludes this memory by saying, “If we don’t take action and tear down the racial boundaries in this country, we won’t be able to live as humans. We’ll lose the ability to communicate properly and civilly.” In this section and overall, Francesca uses spectacular descriptions and makes the events personal and relatable.

As for me, I may never be able to fully relate, although I do try. As a white male I may never experience the same hardships on a personal scale, but I do hear people saying similar things, even in New York. To me, race and gender and religion don’t matter. They never did, never will. After reading this article I’ve realized that not participating in this racial divide is step one, but taking action and helping to educate others before it’s too late is the next step. While on the way to a movie, a boy told me once, “Be careful, there are a lot of blacks. Make sure you don’t get robbed.” I didn’t respond. I didn’t know how to. Now I know what to say, how to react. One little sentence can change a perspective, and hopefully many little sentences will change multiple perspectives.