A striking black-and-white gelatin silver print by Carrie Mae Weems, this work merges photographic portraiture with text-based narrative, characteristic of the artist's exploration of race, identity, and personal agency. Printed on Agfa paper with full margins, the work's physical presentation emphasizes its archival quality while the title's directive tone—evoking the language of a mission briefing—challenges its subject to claim autonomy and self-determination. Weems layers the intimate with the political, transforming a personal address into a broader meditation on resilience and the systemic obstacles faced by Black Americans.