I respect your point of view but the truth is never pretty or easy to digest. As a Black woman who has to live in a country that threatens my right to be treated fairly and equally — I’m not interested in presenting my case in a way that “heals” or provides “comfort” to those on the outside looking in.

I allow my anger, frustration and pain to direct my message and regardless of how divisive it may seem — there is no doubt that what I’m conveying effectively highlights issues that can’t be massaged with words of encouragement and hope.

We have passed the point of holding hands and visualizing an utopia that rivals the messy climate we are now embodying.

All we have is the strength to keep moving forward with the fortitude of our ancestors and the unrelenting love for our Black babies who deserve so much more — despite the pollutant of a society that refuses to honor their share.

Being provocative and challenging the audacity of police officers that shoot to kill in the presence of innocent Black children is the very least I can do — and if that appears to “widen the gap” between us — then I hope it gets wider.

Maybe in that process more lives will be spared — or perhaps the distance created by White supremacists and the President they elected will rival anything writers of color can ever achieve through our literary stance.

Either way — the great divide has always been activated — and that’s a truth that consistently escapes the mindset of privileged Americans.

That’s why I write.