My Joy — My Sorrow
By Krystena LuCastro · Originally published on Medium May 6, 2025
My Joy is that I’m Black,
My Sorrow is that I’m Black.
My Joy is that I love who I am and believe I have a bright future,
My Sorrow is that because of what I am, that future, that I envision for myself; may never come to pass.
My Joy is that so much progress has been made. Life is not so bad.
My Sorrow is that there is still so much to be done, to make life better.
My Joy is that I, we, have allies that see ‘me’, for who I am.
My Sorrow is that I have enemies who see me for what I am.
My Joy is that life is a journey — it’s not a sprint… it’s a marathon.
My Sorrow is that in this marathon we call life, blacks like me, just want a fair race but can’t seem to get those who have had a 400-year head start to understand that.
My Joy is that I am not alone,
My Sorrow is that it can get lonely.
My Joy is that all colors and shades, of what is black, are beautiful.
My Sorrow is that in this black and white tug-o-war, instead of seeing black and white as part of a ying and yang; there are those who see it as good vs. evil, a battle of angels vs. demons, but why? I’m no demon.
My Joy is that this black skin is part of deep and rich history of kings and queens, knowledge and power; compassion, kindness and love.
My Sorrow is that this black skin is part of a painful history of slavery, servitude and solitude; uncertainty, fear, and death.
My Joy is that I know I’m a good person, and live for helping others to see their potential and to achieve their dreams.
My Sorrow is that being black means I have to prove I’m a good person just because of how I look; that there is no potential and that I am not deserving of seeing and achieving my dreams. I am someone’s bogeyman — the bringer of nightmares, simply because of this black skin.
My Joy is my gratefulness to live another year;
My Sorrow is my growing fear, with each year gained, that I may not be so fortunate to see the next.
My Joy is my ability to see the good in almost everything; and the pride of being part of a people that exhibit such resilience, having bared so much pain yet still fight because we know we have so much more to do, to offer and to grow. If only the arbitrary and unnecessary obstacles were removed.
My Sorrow is that I feel the leveling of the playing field, will not be made so… at least not in my lifetime.
My Hope is that this black skin will one day be just that, skin… and mean nothing more than what it was created to do, to protect what is within, because ‘who’ you are and not ‘what’ you are, is what truly matters.
Read the published version on Medium