Got a poem or story for Black History month?

A true story:

I first read about Harriet Tubman during a 'free reading' time in my fifth grade classroom at school.

I was so overwhelmed, upset, and in awe of what she went through and then accomplished in her life, that I, without realizing it, was so visibly and outwardly moved to tears that my teacher came over and asked if I were okay.

Hunted, stolen, shipped, enslaved
Whipped, raped, tortured, hanged.

Freed at last, or maybe not
Whitewashed history will be taught. 

Germans not allowed to fly the flag of their evil past
Confederate flags displayed proudly their reach is vast. 

Makes this white girl want to hurl
And wonder how God is expected to bless this mess. 

But I still hope. 

SavvyAnsley - 2/5/22 

 

  Well, this certainly is a commendably challenging question you’ve written here, Nanoose, thank you for it.

  As prolific and free-flowing I am with the written word, I have never been adept at poetry, and that is despite the fact that my mother is a highly accomplished poet and author. Furthermore, she is a lifelong proponent and advocate of everything involved with awareness of Afrocentrism, an umbrella which encompasses a myriad of topics. I grew up with beautifully vast imagery of it, thanks primarily to my mother.
~

Queen Nanny:

Queen Nanny was an 18th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. She led a community of formerly enslaved Africans called the Windward Maroons and they freed thousands of slaves. In the early 18th century under the leadership of Nanny the Windward Maroons fought a guerrilla war over many years against British authorities in the Colony of Jamaica. During the years of warfare the British suffered significant losses in their encounters with the Windward Maroons of eastern Jamaica. The Maroons attributed their success against the British to the successful use of supernatural powers by Nanny. Having failed to defeat the Maroons on the battle field the British signed a peace treaty. The state sanctioned freedom for the Maroons, and granted 500 acres of land to Nanny and her followers. A village was built on that land called New Nanny Town and it is still there to this day. Cheers and Happy Weekend!

I grew up in a city that was a big part of the Underground Railroad and as a kid  I saw all the Underground Railroad museums.  I was pretty proud that my Country had opened its arms and helped people find freedom but then I grew up and opened my eyes. Turned out that once the people that thought they had found freedom started doing well for them self's racism started to grow and the Canadian government started passing laws so that blacks couldn't own houses and other laws that took away freedom. Sadly stuff like that are a big part of Black History all around the World. Cheers and happy weekend!

Buffalo Soldiers:

Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front. But once the Buffalo soldiers went far beyond the call of duty when they saved an entire town  from burring to the ground from a huge forest fire. Back then there wasn't much knowledge about controlling forest fires but the Buffalo soldiers figured it out as they risked their lives fighting and diverting the fire. Cheers and happy weekend!

 

Thought I would add the song Black Day In July by Gordon Lightfoot to this post. The song is about the Detroit race riots in 1967. A young kid was shot to death by cops and when riots broke out because the cops got no punishment the media blamed the riots on hot summer days that made tempers flare instead of talking about the dead youth and the reasons for his death. The song was banned in 30 states because radio stations didn't`t want to upset people. Stuff like that is still happening to this day and schools don`t want to teach about the horrors and injustices black people were put through. And I think if the song wasn't banned in the 60s things might of been different these days. Cheers! 


https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/18004/video_gordon_lightfoot_s_black_day_in_july_still_brings_chills