I Am Absolute

I am not a visible minority —
I do not exist in contrast, in shadow, in margins.

I am not a person of color —
As if my essence is only pigment, only difference.

I am not ethnic —
As if my culture is a footnote to another’s story.

I am not diverse —
As if my presence alone completes a spectrum.

I am not under-represented —
As if my worth is tied to statistics.

I am not disadvantaged —
As if my strength is born only from struggle.

I am not a minority —
As if my numbers determine my significance.

I am not a special interest —
As if my rights and dignity are up for debate.

I am not defined in the negative,
Not a fraction of something else,
Not the "other" beside the "norm."

I stand whole, complete —
Not a counterpoint, but a force in my own right.

I am history unfolding,
A legacy unbroken,
An origin, a present, a future unshaken.

I am not relative.
I am who I am.
Not measured against, not named by absence.
I Am Absolute.

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Written by Ronald Connor.
In honour of Black History Month 2025.