Teen apologises in poetry slam life of “white privilege”…but won’t swap places
Royce Mann, 14, from Atlanta, Georgia, has been praised for his brutal honesty in viral video
A TEEN who has been videoed taking part in a poetry slam speaking about his "privileged white life" has gone viral thanks to his brutal honesty about race and gender.
Royce Mann, 14, took part in the competition at his school in Atlanta, Georgia, US, and won first prize.
Speaking about how he was lucky to live a better life because he wasn't black, Asian-American, Native American, or a woman, he then called for the world to make a change.
The clip was filmed in May, but after his mother put it up on Youtube, it has now had nearly 200,000 hits.
His poem begins: "Dear women, I’m sorry. Dear black people, I’m sorry. Dear Asian-Americans, dear Native Americans, dear immigrants who come here seeking a better life, I’m sorry.
"Dear everyone who isn’t a middle or upper class white boy, I’m sorry. I have started life on the top of the ladder while you were born on the first rung.
"I say now that I would change places with you in an instant, but if given the opportunity, would I? Probably not."
He recites the poem from memory and continues: "Because to be honest, being privileged is awesome. I’m not saying that you and me on different rungs of the ladder is how I want it to stay. I’m not saying that any part of me has for a moment even liked it that way.
"I’m just saying that I f***in' love being privileged and I’m not willing to give that away. I love it because I can say "f***in" and not one of you is attributing that to the fact that everyone with my skin color has a dirty mouth."
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Moving on to say how as a male he is better off than being a female he adds: "I love it because I don’t have to spend an hour every morning putting on make-up to meet other people’s standards,' he goes on, addressing his privilege as a boy instead of a girl.
"I love it because I can worry about what kind of food is on my plate instead of whether or not there will be food on my plate. I love it because when I see a police officer I see someone who is on my side.
"To be honest, I’m scared of what it would be like if I wasn’t on the top rung. If the tables were turned and I didn’t have my white boy privilege safety blankie to protect me. "
Addressing more issues of gender and inequality, he reaches a crescendo as he approaches the end of the poem - which is met with a huge round of applause: "I get that change can be scary, but equality shouldn’t be. Hey white boys: it’s time to act like a woman. To be strong and make a difference. It’s time to let go of that fear. It’s time to take that ladder and turn it into a bridge."
Many have praised his honesty, including Taraji P. Henson, who stars in the US hit drama Empire. She tweeted: "#TheTRUTH GOD BLESS THIS LITTLE BRAVE ANGEL!!!'