Born to black republicans raised up in a white town and somehow I at least attempt to stay down. Ever since I was a youngster I was here to rebel, and if I do say so myself I did all that quite well. Ya see back in the first grade my teacher started to tell us about MLK I raised my hand to say "why did Martin Luther King have to have that dream how did whites find beautiful nubians unclean it was your grandparents who oppressed my people and yeah that’s why today blacks still aren’t equal." I was only 6 years old with a chip on my shoulder and as I grew older my opinions grew bolder. As my parents climbed the latter of the tax bracket. I began to don a beret and black leather jacket. Back then I was about ten I’d just learned of Huey P. Bobby Seal and Angela Davis they all influenced me. I went to school fist up shouting power to the people explaining to my white peers that in congress blacks still aren’t equal. Fast forward 2 years still into the black panther party then I was introduced to literature by Marcus Garvey. I said I want to go back to Africa to my dad and my mom, they said “hell no”, I said “damn uncle toms, I’m just trying to go abroad and unite with my people, it cause of uppity Negroes like you in America blacks still aren’t equal.” See I had that Farrakhan slash Huey P. slash Angela Davis slash Bob Marley kind of disease, they say the lighter you are the more militant you have the ability to be. And look I’m not that light people but I was racially neglected, growing up with white people had me culturally disconnected. So I had to prove my blackness any way that I could cause I grew up by a country club, not quite the hood. The only black kid in my class the only girl with any ass if kids had a question about rap who do you think they would ask. So I just clung to my copies of Malcolm X and do the right thing, making home videos pretending I was spike lee. I was so young and angry, the suburbs I swear I hated it. But now that I’m surrounded by black people I realize… Black folks are overrated
no its a poem. its more of a spoken word type piece and its probably easier to understand if someone is reading it, but its a poem all the same.
I've been sitting here wordless for no few moments, sort of being aware of one flowing into the other, until I realized what was up, was awe. A fully awesome work, both this piece, and your life. I can only hope that being an anachronism hasn't been to hard on you. Power to the PEOPLE!! Right ON!! We'd sit, and they'd drag us, We'd march and they'd gas us, We'd stand tall, and they would shoot us down, and all we were saying was give peace a chance. Many have forgotten, you have not, thank you my young sister. sine cera
Ironic. You want blacks to be equal, but shun your well to do parents who are making it (quite well, it seems) in "white" society. I hope that doesn't sound like an attack. It was a good poem with a lot to think about. The sort of clash that develops between cultural identity on the one hand, and fitting in with the mainstream on the other. Interesting.
i shunned my parents not for doing well but for selling out, although now that i look back that wasnt really the case. But thats how i felt when i was younger.
