We Were Never Meant to Lead, But We Do

“We Were Never Meant to Lead, But We Do”

by Chidinma Victory Oforji

We were never meant to lead
not in halls with polished floors
or under lights too white for our skin.
But here we are.
Leading with every breath
that resists the silence.

They built tables we were never invited to,
so we carved our own from memory and ash
oak wood soaked in ancestors’ prayers,
sanded smooth by the backs we broke
just to stand.

They called our questions ignorance,
our tone—aggression,
our names—too much.
But we turned that “too much”
into presence, into power.

We do not lead despite our scars.
We lead because of them.
Every wound a warning.
Every breath a blueprint.

We carry herbs in our pockets,
Ubuntu in our palms,
and Sankofa on our backs—
because we’ve learned:
we must go back
and fetch what was stolen.

We are not broken.
We are becoming.
We are the medicine.
We are the future
unfolding,
unapologetic,
and unafraid.