It’s hard to pursue excellence when you’re suffering from hate-filled racism fueled by anger and fear. It’s hard to feel like royalty when you're treated like a wild animal hunted as prey. It’s hard to believe that you are a king or a queen with your suffering due to the color of your skin. From one lifetime to the next. Generation to generation. Decade after decade. What should we say to black people right now? What should we expect from white allies? What about other people of color? How can we rise from pain and despair to empowerment and excellence in the face of racism and injustice?