I am a woman. I am a black woman. I am Breonna Taylor.
I am a woman. I am a black woman. I am Sandra Bland.
I am a woman. I am a black woman. I am Aiyana Stanley-Jones.
I am a woman. I am a black woman. I am an unsaid name.

Say her name when you scream and shout.
Say her name when you decide to call out.
Say her name when you protest and riot.
Say her name, for God’s sake don’t stay silent.

            My black sisters are often forgotten and ignored
            Like the trash that washes upon an abandoned shore.
            Yes, Black Lives Matter, this is without a doubt.
            And my black sisters are just as important, don’t shut them out.
            To these women we must offer up a place of sanctuary
            Because if we don’t we have just become another adversary.
            All I ask is you say her name
            Because I’m so tired of playing this sick game.

When I say Black Lives Matter, I mean black women too.
Because I am a black American woman who fears the red, white, and blue.

Ife Shango-Singleton is a student at Elizabeth Seton High School in Washington, D.C. She plans to go to medical school to become a neurosurgeon, while continuing her writing vocation.