"Personally I cried while watching this video. I remember growing up feeling empty and lost being a black kid in a predominantly white neighborhood I grew up being afraid.  I was afraid to be myself. I remember my best friend father telling him he wasn't allowed to play with me because I was black. (Yep. he said it just like that.) I was 10 years old this was right after our 5th grade first day...

 

In middle school, I remember being confused I felt like the ugliest kid ever because I wasn't blonde with blue eyes. I was the fat ugly black kid and no girls liked me. I forsure wanted to die... I ended up dating a guy named Erick Avila and when I released I wasn't gay it was too late. I had kids calling me all kind of stuff. None of my friends were allowed to sleep over my house it was a hard time... that was 8th grade I was 14...

 

Finally Senior Year of High School! Well that's what I tried to make everyone think... actually I had just got dumped by a girl I can honestly call my first love and two days later my dad was Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer ( 3 years to live) I stopped going to class, stopped going home I slept at friends houses and ate with my teacher, best friend, and mentor Sean Hiller. I really wanted to end my life. I remember sitting in front of my friend's pool wanting to drown. It would be easy, and no one would miss me. No one loved me, I'd never be happy or have a wife or a life. I was worthless. Through all that Sean Hiller the greatest man I've ever had in my life. shared my struggles with some people who ended up saving my life. "I want to be ALIVE." (Logic)  For Sean, for my younger siblings, for my photography, for all the people who teased me. I had to prove them wrong.

 

Today I'm not afraid. I love myself my best friend loves me and her family doesn't care about race. She is my world, she's why I want to live. Emely is my life.

Today I am beautiful. I don't care what people say I have beautiful brown eyes a great smile and a loving heart.

Today I met the greatest girl in the world. I may not see her a lot but she fits my life she makes me smile, id jump off a cliff for her.

 

Finally as for my Pop's he has Cancer, Dietbites, patella tendonitis, but he's in remission and I wake up thanking God every day for having a loving father who has my back and accepts me for me.

 

Today I'm a 20-year-old Pre-med student who works in a hospital, owns his own car, owns a magazine ( a company) and loves living life.

 

Logic "1-800" saved me personally because it reminds me why I stay fighting and why I love living in a world and taking photos of the most beautifully imperfectly perfect people around the world! ~ A. Taylor Editor-In-Chef of Oblongata Magazine.