This post was real honest and emotional. I am so proud of this new age for people beginning to speak up about the racism they experience throughout their lives. A lot of people believe that racism doesn’t exist anyone because we’ve passed laws forbid it. But that doesn’t prevent the racism rooted deep inside us and the prejudices we hold whether we realize it or not. We need to face this no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it is. Thank you so much for sharing this powerful piece.

This post was the most powerful thing I’ve seen on this website. It is amazing to hear you speak out about these kinds of issues. Racism is as big of a problem as it has ever been, and people need stories like these to shake them out of apathy. The more people who realize that there is still prejudice in our world, then the less prejudice will occur. Even though it is hard for people to face, they need to hear stories like these. Even if the police officer didn’t consider himself racist, he obviously still had some bias, and that is the issue we need to face.
Thank you for an incredible post,
Logan Seat

Gogisgksoquili,
I could feel the rage through the screen as I was reading your poem. You did an excellent job of putting yourself in Khalil shoes when you were writing. This poem shoes how racism is a prevalent issue and is overlooked when you don’t have the chance to tell your story. I thought the lines, “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL, if you had to choose between food and lights when both are important?” because it puts everything you talked about in the beginning into perspective. Keep writing and looking forward to hearing from you again.

Gogisgksoquili, this was a very powerful poem and I genuinely enjoyed reading it from start to finish. It is disappointing to still see so much racism in our world, and I hope that our generation has the capacity and knowledge to fix this unreasonable issue. The fact that people are dying over the color of their skin in the 21st century baffles me! My favorite part of your poem was every time you said “how would you feel” because you really manage to capture the readers’ attention and make them reflect on themselves if they were in that position. I also loved how you mentioned that it is not your fault that you were born the way you were, and that you should not be punished for it, because that is so very true and a forgotten aspect. I found a website which lists some tips for writing a great poem, and I hope you make it to the absolute best of your ability!

Poetry Writing: 10 Tips on How to Write a Poem

Thank you for writing this beautiful poem,
Mia Kowalczyk

I really enjoyed reading this. Police brutality is one of the biggest problems facing America right now, and I really appreciate how you used your creativity to address such an important issue. Like Emma said, it is very frustrating when people refuse to accept that there is so much racism in our world today when there are news articles of Black people getting shot without reason every day. The Black Lives Matter movement is so important to show people that racism is still relevant and that we need to address it. Your poem really moved me, thank you for writing it.

Looking forwards to your next post 🙂

This is very powerful, and incredibley well written. This issue is so important, and I’m glad you brought it up. It has so much emotion, yet it focuses on the issue. The emotion doesn’t overwhelm, and the information doesn’t either. There’s a lot of people who say racism isn’t a problem anymore, but they’re wrong. There is so much gun violence, and problems and a lot of it I see rooted in racism, misunderstandings, assumptions. In my religion class we watched a documentary on police brutality and the reality of racism. I’ll try to find the name for you!

This piece is powerful. Every man in the stresses would understand this story. As a women from the “ghetto” i feel this piece in every way. I’ve seen and heard this story a million times. Everyday i witness veriest view of brutality. This piece makes me sad and proud at the same time of how my generation moves as one, we now understand how police look at us but now sadly harm each other. Thank you for writing this piece it opened my eyes to a new interesting topic!

Dear Gogiisgkoquili:
I am shocked by your poem, “How would you feel?,” because I had no idea that you went through all of that. No one should go through and make difficult decisions like you did.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is, “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL if somebody wanted you dead and never know when your last day is?” I think this is unfair because no one should have to think that way. People should not have to be wondering if tomorrow is their last day or not.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because I like how you were brave enough to share a part of your life. I would like to know how you and your mom are doing now.
Osiris Meraz

Dear Gogisgksoquili,
I am shocked about your poem, “How Would You Feel?” because of the emotions that can be felt behind your writing. It’s obvious the point you are trying to convey and as someone who is part of the minority I understand the frustration and fear you have expressed.
One sentence that stood out to me was, “This was my story, my only story”. I think this is powerful because at the beginning of the poem we were not yet made aware of what Khalil had gone through or that he had died so using the same phrase at the end of the poem had a great impact on what you were saying.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you write with such emotion and passion.
Yadira

Dear Gogisgksoquili,
I am impressed by your poem, “How Would You Feel?” because of all the serious things that people of color have to go through. I saw the movie “The Hate U Give” and I just think this poem made me realize how more meaning full it is, Also how the word choice made the poem show real-world problems.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is when you begin every sentence with, “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL” because it’s showing the emotion and everything you’re fearing in your life.
Thanks for writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because your words of choice and all the figurative language made me really enjoy the story. This is because I get to understand how just one simple hair brush causes life and just being a person or a color can make everyone see you wrong
Evelin