What do you see when you look in the mirror?

I do not know.

I wonder if you see what I see, when I look at you.

When I see you…

I see a miracle of God’s unique creation, a one-of-a-kind original.

I see a bundle of hopes and fears, smiles and scowls, sweetness and mischief, talents and flaws—a humanity that cannot be erased.

But that is not all I see,

When I see you.

When I see you…

I see the courage and strength of generations of ancestors who refused to stop fighting the lie that they were less than human.

I see their hopes and dreams for a better future, and their relentless perseverance so that their children might see that future.

I see a legacy of fighters, truth-tellers, chain-breakers, rescuers, survivors—those who refused to forget, refused to accept, and refused to retreat.

You were birthed from their struggle.

You are the fruit of their labors,

The fulfillment of their dreams.

Your very existence is a monument to their deep commitment to hope.

And so, I cannot help but see them,

When I see you.

When I see you…

I see the struggle you have inherited and the challenge that lies before you.

I see a society that has sought to limit your opportunity and visibility, your access and success.

I see a wall of labels, stereotypes, and fears that prevent many people from actually seeing your beauty at all.

You did not create this challenge, but you must accept it and determine to rise to it.

This is the struggle you have inherited that created the legacy that birthed you.

I see you striving to make sense of the struggle, to discover who you are.

Sometimes you defy the labels and stereotypes.

Sometimes you embody them, believing their promise of wealth and glory, or refusing to try a game that was rigged for someone else.

Sometimes you dream of a different type of future.

Sometimes you cannot see past the harsh realities of what you already know.

Who can tell what your journey will hold?

What battles you will fight?

What choices you will make, and what the results will be?

I do not know.

And yet…

Knowing where you come from,

Knowing who you come from,

And knowing you are here, now…

I know there is hope; I know there is a future; I know there is strength within to overcome anything—

When I see you.