WORDS OF EMPOWERMENT FOR THE YOUTH

By Shauna Owens

I BELIEVE

I believe in differences
     In equality
     The freedom and choice of religion
     The right of liking whom you want
     In celebrating being a kid
     I believe in a life filled with love and laughter
But I don't believe in normality
     I believe everyone deserves good friends
     I believe love is balanced by hate
     I believe everyday should be lived to its fullest
     I believe in Jah individuality and family
     I believe I live the best of two worlds
And I believe in believing

THE AFRICAN

I am an African:
     Mixed as an ice cream sundae,
     Mixed as a setting sun.
I've been a warrior:
     I sang my spiritual songs,
     And danced my sacred dance.
I've been a prisoner:
     Taken in shackles by the white man to his distant home.
     Whipped when I tried to run from them and find my family again.
     The scars upon my back tell my history.
I've been a laborer:
     I've worked in the fields in the burning sun,
     As it scorched my caramel skin.
     The cotton wrapped around my bleeding hands from work in the tobacco fields.
I've been free:
     I fought for my freedom through my songs,
     And at last here it is.
     I will hold my head high from this day on and show that
     I can win!
I am an African:
     Mixed as an ice cream sundae,
     Mixed as a setting sun.

Shauna Jiselle Owens, while only 14-years old, is an accomplished writer, dancer and top basketball player who aspires to stardom. She backs up her beliefs and desires for her future with actions as well as words.