In 2010, I wrote a spoken word piece. I am sad to say it still seems prevalent today.
Unspeakable We’re the highest in the nation
Incarceration, a one stop station
Haitian, Jamaican, dark persuasion
Put down in history
No mystery we lit the scene
The B-bop team, Parker and Dizzy
Whites in a tizzy
Drink whiskey to celebrate
Another hanging, strangling
Emmitt Till, dangling
Still no justice
It’s busted, don’t trust it
Inferior to the white race
Jefferson states, to set it straight
We can’t demonstrate
“Plain narration”, a mind devoid
No communication
But still We rise Ms. Angelou
Blow their minds, head to toe
Took a hoe and scraped away the old
Told a new story filled with glory
For a race, displaced
Erased no more
With Morrison winnin’ prizes,
Meredith’s suit shinin’,
Angela Davis fightin’, striving for inclusion
An illusion in these states
Raises debate, consumed in hate
Why 1 in 8 are behind bars
Scarred, it never ends
Still the trend,
Had Soledad’s, Parks, and Gates,
Even X, MLK, yet
Of all the black katz today,
I’m mystified to say…
You let OJ get away.
What happened last night is not justice. My heart goes out to the Brown family. And to all of you who think this verdict was just, think again. Now any cop can shoot someone who is unarmed and running in the opposite direction– and get away with it. You could be that person.
Cops have tasers for a reason. They are meant to be used when guns aren’t necessary. Guess they won’t be needing tasers anymore.
Love, B. R. Wren
I swear to the Lord
I still can’t see
Why Democracy means
Everybody but me.
Langston Hughes
However, though I do not feel justice was served, there is no need for these violent riots. This helps no one, especially the towns you are destroying. It’s ok to be angry, but it’s not ok to vandalize and tear apart a city. MLK would not approve.
Found in Reverie 