Photo courtesy of
Marvin Perkins
We are not
a rainbow.
I am not black.
You are not red.
I have never been
white.
I want to shake the world
and say,
“Look at me!
Look at yourself!
Don’t you see?
all the beautiful shades
of brown.”
Just brown
light to dark
like sugar
sweet
with little significant variation;
just one
sweet color,
brown.
© 2013 DarEll S. Hoskisson (dsh)
(Marvin Perkins and his team have full permission to use and copy as desired.)
Personal Abridgements: Living Well Together 
I love it. My mom had it on her official passport for a while that she was spotted. The official hadn’t looked to closely (at the passport), and had he looked closely enough at her…it’s true.
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The poem made me cry – I love it – all the beautiful shades of brown!
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I’m so glad to have this picture with my poem. It was after seeing this picture that I knew I had to write something about it. Marvin Perkins is passionate about this and I am excited to share his website with you. It is, http://www.BlacksintheScriptures.com
On his website you can order ‘we are all brown’ unity bracelets. Many of you know I have a multicultural family. This is very personal to me.
Love to all!
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I read it a second time, with the picture and I cried again. Have you sent a copy of the poem to Marvin Perkins? It is wonderful!!! The picture is perfect!!
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I loved it too. I never thought of myself as being brown, but I am. How could anyone feel animosity towards another after reading this poem?
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