by Elvenia Gray-Sandiford
I walk into rooms where I was never meant to stand,
Where my presence alone is a protest, a demand.
Where my excellence is met with raised brows and doubt,
As if my success is something to figure out.
I work ten times harder just to earn my place,
Yet when I rise, they call it luck, not grace.
As if my brilliance is an accident, a flaw,
As if my victories must abide by their law.
They watch me, whisper, shift in their seats,
Uncomfortable with the power I keep.
I see their stares, I hear their sighs,
But I refuse to shrink beneath their lies.
I will not soften my voice, I will not make myself small.
I will not dim my fire to soothe their unease,
I will not beg for acceptance, I do not need their keys.
They try to rig the game, try to block the way,
But you can’t fake influence, as Kendrick would say.
They build their walls, but I bring the storm,
I bend but don’t break, I rise, I transform.
I will not code-switch my way out of my soul,
I will not dilute my essence just to fit a role.
I will not let them dictate how bright I can shine,
My worth is not theirs to measure or define.
I am done making myself smaller to make them feel right,
Done dulling my colours to blend into white.
I was not made to tiptoe, to bow, to appease,
I was made to stand bold, to move like a breeze.
I will not downplay the power I hold,
I will not trade my truth for the lie they have sold.
I will not silence my voice so they stay in control,
I will not shrink to fit into their mold.
No longer will I carry the weight of their fear,
No longer will I fade when I was made to appear.
No longer will I ask for permission to thrive,
No longer will I wait—I am fully alive.
I will take up space, I will own my name,
I will not apologize, I will not play their game.
I will not lessen my dreams to soothe their regret,
I will not erase my past so they can forget.
I am brilliantly, wonderfully made by divine hands,
A force, a fire, a voice that withstands.
I stand on the shoulders of those who fought,
With power, with purpose, with lessons well-taught.
So let them whisper, let them stare,
Let them question why I am here.
Because I am here, and I will not fade,
I will rise, unshaken, unafraid.
I will not shrink. I will not yield.
I am my ancestors’ wildest dream revealed.
I have earned my seat at this table,
But I am done just taking crumbs.
I will feast on the fruits of my labour,
I will own what I have become.
I will not bow down to systems built to break me,
I will not trade my heritage for their harmony.
I will not reduce my dreams to fit inside their lines,
I will not surrender my soul to make them feel fine.
No more muting my brilliance behind their fear,
No more standing in shadows when I belong here.
No more waiting for permission to rise,
No more living behind their disguise.
I will walk in my fullness, I will take up space,
I will own my power with fearless grace.
And when they try to push me aside,
I will stand even taller—I will not hide.
I am the storm they never saw coming,
The fire they swore they had tamed.
The force they tried to contain in silence,
But my voice will forever remain.
So hear me now, let it be known,
I will not shrink—I have outgrown
Every limit, every barrier, every doubt they threw,
And now I stand, whole and true.
I am a Black woman, bold and bright,
Burning with an everlasting light.
And though they try to dim my flame,
I rise again—unchained, untamed.