*this is poem I wrote for my sophmore winter English class, which I received an A on

hushed whispers in her ear
jayichu vaa
words of affirmation
for the girl with purple glasses

jayichu vaa
was the last thing she heard
before she walked onto the stage
hours passed, spelling each word hurled her way
before she claimed her victory

jayichu vaa, they said
before she studied systems of equations
and understood the expectations embedded in the color of her skin
burying her under hours of math problems
even though it was her worst subject
yes she won the spelling bee, and yes she got good grades
but it wasn't because of her long, jet black hair and bushy eyebrows
her hard work, completely discarded
because of the model minority myth

it was before she learned that oiled hair on a brown girl
was "greasy and dirty"
but on a blonde girl
it was "clean girl aesthetic"

victory might not be the best word to describe those years

jayichu vaa
was what the girl's parents cheered 
before her admissions interview
before she clicked submit
and before the confetti fell down the screen 
"welcome to exeter"
the screen of her victory 

jayichu vaa, they whispered into her ears
before she walked on the tedx stage in her six-inch heels
before she spoke up in front of a thousand people
before her standing ovation

i would say she won

to the girl with purple glasses
you're not supposed to fit the mold
they want to shove you in
all you need is to jayichu vaa

"from one brown girl to another, never shrink or feel the need to explain yourself"
was what the womans note read
the one she passed to you at work
It's not mean to stand up for yourself, or demand respect,
Especially when you rightfully deserve it
If using less-than-kind words is necessary, 
by all means, use them gracefully

No need to hide behind makeup, 
we figured that out too late
It took a while, but we finally got there

To the girl with purple glasses,
we've come such a long way,
but our journey isn't over
until every voice is won.

Our greatest reward won't just be in what we've attained
but in the courage to inspire others, unchained
so let's work to empower others like us
so we all can jayichu vaa.