If I wasn’t a familiar face or you didn’t know my name –
Will you judge my brown skin?
Will you care to find out what’s within?
Will you question my place in your neighborhood?
Will I still be able to stand where I’ve stood?
If you didn’t know me, would you give me the benefit of the doubt?
Or let your anger and frustrations out?
If you saw me marching through the streets –
For equal justice and against racial inequalities –
Will you see me as a Black SOB?
Will you take the time to understand why?
Or will you deny me the Right to protest?
Will you stand on the side that deems me to be less?
Would you be fine with a knee to my neck?
Or say, it was the best that Chauvin could have done?
Believe that he isn’t wrong to be so smug with his hands in his pockets,
while I slowly die?
That he should be given a pass because he is white?
Or there should be no consequence, given that he is law enforcement?
Would you just shoot?
Then lie, deny and excuse what you did?
Police initially said that George Floyd’s death was a medical incident.
The truth would not have been known
if the teen, Darnella Frazier didn’t capture it on her phone
and broadcast it to the world.
There would have been no consequence or accountability to his death.
Another name and face to easily forget.
Many Americans have allowed politicians to strip people of their dignity.
Cloud others to view their fellowmen as enemies.
When in truth, they are of no more danger than I am to you.
I am not violent and neither are they.
People believe based on hearsay and judgments made.
If I am not just a token Black friend
and you are not on the racist end of the spectrum –
Are you still part of the problem?
Do you ever cover up or allow racism to happen?
If you want to be a hand to the solution, vote for real change to systems.
Donations and charity are great.
But paving a way for people to live to their full potential is the greater gift to give.
To ensure quality of life to the people who live.
It’s not enough to be for birth or say that you stand for life.
Wanting babies to be born, not caring about the strife in their community.
The struggles they will face in our society.
When we choose what deprives others, or go to ensure that we prosper.
Look down and treat with disgust.
Or not care enough.
Not attempt to do what is right for most of US.
Do you vote for or against color, religion, class or creed?
Who you want to fail and who you want to succeed?
How many Americans know of Juneteenth or the Tulsa Race Massacre?
Do you know of the Civil Rights Movement beyond MLK as a Civil Rights
Leader?
Have you learned beyond him saying “I Have a Dream”?
Understand truly what that Dream means?
Are you aware of 1619, the history and consequence of slavery?
The threads to racial divide and the failures to elevate people of color within
our society?
Or do you dismiss that as make believe?
Is 1776 enough American History for you?
With no motivation to expand your knowledge beyond the popular views?
The rules, ways and systems that continue to oppress.
The backlash or regress after a show of progress.
Whenever steps are made toward racial equality –
Movements to back track are demanded, it seems.
A President of color was too much for some to accept.
Fueled by anger and anxiety, they took steps.
Which led to Trump and rise of White Supremacy.
No more moderate Republicans, only extreme.
Requests for accountability to rouge law enforcement
And people of color choosing the representation of government –
Were met with attacks to the Capitol by insurgents.
Some Americans would rather see a coup or civil war.
Than people of color becoming equals.
They preferably stand tall with un-Christian and amoral.
And have democracy not stand at all.
A sad truth of what so many want to see in the land of the free.
What has been hidden in plain sight.
Can no longer be denied.
So many Americans turned out to be wolves.
Not just in government, but among US, living in our neighborhoods.
Some keep saying they are not racist.
But they vote for and allow racism to continue.
Clearing the path for racists to get through.
Many are choosing ignorance which allows for the promotion of racism.
What you claim you don’t know, wouldn’t show but gets a go.
That may hold for a while but likely won’t stand the test of time.
Burying it under the rug is not a feasible solution.
It will continue to haunt and before we know
America as we know her, will be gone.
Racism will be so strong.
That means, we will continue to compromise on prosperity and peace.
As we battle among ourselves, with our countrymen –
True freedom will not extend.
We can retreat to our bubble.
But trouble breeds trouble.
Which is likely to spread.
If not to our physical space,
the effects will still reach our spirits and our heads.
Unless, as some have done, we harden our hearts instead.
And as citizens, we will not be safe.
In this land of the brave.
America’s portfolio didn’t grow from a blank slate.
As some would have US believe today.
She has a stain of red on her Indigenous, brown and black.
Who even today are under attack.
Some don’t realize that the splatter has fallen on them.
They want to believe they are exempt.
And continue to support the painters who throw red.
Even though they are well aware that the red isn’t paint.
But the blood from victims.
They still stand back and admire as art-work.
And continue to promote this extremist show.
Even as the venue is suspect.
You have to crawl deep through the depths of nowhere to get there.
They don’t stop, try to turn around or avoid the stench.
They chose to cut off their noses instead.
No you can’t label America, the Country as racist.
But you can’t deny that racists and racism exist among her people and systems.
Republicans are skilled at changing the narrative
so you will ignore the truth about them.
Hocus-pocus to manage the message and the focus.
Their followers are duped as they create their own truth.
Although they mince their words, their words are still powerful.
Disgraceful and shameful are now allowable and bring scores.
Truth and integrity don’t shine anymore and are even ignored.
When you dismiss that part of socialization and communication
You place yourself and others in dangerous situations.
If you’re not able to see the assault on America’s democracy.
The rise of the cultish Republican Party
And the embracing of white supremacy –
Then the GOP has met its goal.
And despite all of this, a GOP’s hold is the way you go.
If you accept that for them to get there, the process need not be fair.
Then you’re already a buy-in to the GOP’s anti-democracy, racist doctrine.
If their world is fully seen –
Then some of you will seize to commune with the likes of me.
In that society, sections of US will never be embraced, but erased.
I will not be a friendly face and you likely will not learn my name.
So it may be true – if you didn’t know me, if I wasn’t personal to you.
You would treat me as the GOP would.
Just another black face, a charity case.
One to who you would donate and pretend to save.
Just a stepping stone, a black token.
You may fight for my birth but not support my equality here on earth.
Not a human, born to be equal.
But a representation to feign religious and humanitarian.