The text of the poem is available here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise
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What does it mean to be Black in America? It means being angry, tired and scared. It means being proud but not boastful, walking the fine line between loving your heritage and hoping that it doesn’t draw too much attention so that you are made to feel other. It means, by default, being Other. It means trying to fit in. It means fighting against racism, all the while hoping that its subtle messages of inferiority don’t take hold in your heart.
It means reconciling with the fact that you come from a legacy of people who’ve always worked harder than they’ve ever been given credit for. It means keeping your eye on the prize, while every day struggling to survive. It means wanting to leave behind something for your children with the hopes that they’ll have it easier, but every day being reminded that the past is always present. It means being mother, father, worker and soul warrior. It means believing in something bigger, even if that faith does not materialize in time to save us now. It means hoping, praying, fighting, organizing and calling upon all the ancestors in our bloodline to keep going, moving, striving and changing until we achieve what is meant to be wholly ours: freedom. RIP #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudArbery #GeorgeFloyd #AllTheFallen You will not be forgotten. They dropped peppers in the sand
And they started clawing at each other, tooth and nail For scraps that were meant to keep them alive Mothers killed their daughters And fathers burned their sons Because of the differences in their flesh’s tolerance of the sun They picked up all the peppers And everything was calm Paradise in heaven was known to everyone on earth Then they sprinkled salt And all the fighting returned the same Everyone thought they were dying for nothing more than rain Then they stopped sprinkling And all lived in harmony All had enough of food, shelter, and prosperity Daughters grew to be mothers Sons grew to be fathers And all the children grew up to be care-takers of villages That lasted for eternity If you grew up in a community affected by colonialism and the belief in White supremacy, then guess what? Your people are probably exhibiting the effects of colorism, whether internally or externally. It's an issue that affects a lot of us, no matter how much we (don't) talk about it - from artists choosing the light(er)-skinned Latinas to be in their bachata videos, to the "red-bone," "yellow-bone" vixens idolized in hip hop videos (I mean I know, they're damn videos), and to who gets the Hollywood roles - colorism shapes our minds from the exit of the womb until we realize that we've been drinking the kool-aid for a little too long. I reflected after I watched Oprah's series on Dark Girls and Light Girls, and could relate to some of what the women were talking about, with regard to the complex of having light or dark skin in the African diaspora. It's time to get fresh water in our veins. ~ Colorism
Sounds amazing. Blue Red White Orange Invoking the rainbow All playing a role in reflecting colors of beauty against a gray sky In America It means Light or dark With no room for those of us in between Or those who know what it feels like to be both It’s so deceptive, like a worm in your food You think you’re not affected Until you realize That you’ve been eating worms in your food all this time Cutting off the dark parts of the banana for no reason Picking out the darker pieces from your snacks because they don’t belong Colorblindness isn’t the answer Not succumbing to outside prejudice is Knowing who you are And that you are beautiful is Without needing to feel better or worse than another For reasons no one can control Colorism Is Beauty When acknowledged for the right purpose When it recognizes the uniqueness Of a variety of hues That glow and reflect Brilliance Across a gray sky *Performed by Jussie Smollet & the beautiful, socially conscious, Alicia Keys* People been talking about it We won't just stand here in silence Can't stop the fire from rising From rising Oh Oh People don't you be afraid So many innocents slain This is an era for change Change And Malcolm's probably turning in his grave Every shade was beautifully made And powerful There's so much strength in you and me Powerful A breathe away from victory I matter, you matter, we matter all I matter, you matter, we matter all Powerful Powerful I see a colorful future Where skin don't define any human And stars are the only thing shooting Shooting Oh Oh Mothers who bury their child How can we sit there and hide? Change comes when all take a stand now Stand up Stand up Martin's speech still echoes in my brain Every shade was beautifully made And powerful There's so much strength in you and me Powerful A breathe away from victory I matter, you matter, we matter all I matter, you matter, we matter all Powerful Powerful Powerful There's so much strength in you and me Powerful A breathe away from victory I matter, you matter, we matter all I matter, you matter, we matter all Powerful Powerful I’m going to Birmingham and I will be reliving memories from the Civil Rights Movement. I am here for a reason. What it is, I am still finding out, but I know that life is too damn short to be hiding behind the curtain forever. At some point, the lights will come on, and I’ll have to come out on stage.
Tbc... |
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