Our Prize

We’ve taken our eyes off the prize.

Our gifts.

Our babies.

Our children.

Our future.

For too long. Far too long. Far too lost.

Far too many, too far gone.

Today, the things that matter most to our youth shouldn’t.

And the ones who should matter most, don’t.

The things they want to be, they’ll never see.

The things they should see, they’ll probably never be.

Why?

Because, we’ve taken our eyes off the prize.

So tomorrow, it’s time to reclaim our young generation.

I know it’ll be hard. I know it will be tough.

We’ll have to reach way down to get to them. To dark dungeons of media, society and environment where demons in gold shackles and golden smiles dwell.

And loom large.

To kill their dreams.

And when we get to our children, it’ll be just as hard to lift them up to see the light. To take them from where they are, to where they need to go to grow.

We’ve taken our eyes off the prize.

So now, we’ll have to fight for and with our own babies.

And, sometimes, some of us will get beaten. Some of us will give up. Many of us have.

But I know I’m not afraid or alone. For when it’s time to battle, I will stand tall next to three warriors, rather than cower beside 300 cowards.

And when I’m fighting all those damn demons, I’ll get weary. But find courage and strength I’ll need, Lord help me, in others.

So every day, and every tomorrow, I will fight. And focus. On my vision of a better world and way for my babies. And our children.

While never taking my eyes off the prize.

R. Lee Gordon

The National Black TEEN Empowerment Expo (501c3)
rgordon@nbtee.org
734.395.3079

UniTee Design, Inc.
rgordon@uniteedesign.com
888.our.rbg.tees

The Better Detroit Youth Movement (501c3)
rgordon@betterdetroityouth.org
313.516.8384