We are guilty until proven innocent
Savage apes are the name they called our ancestors
When they invaded our lands
Claimed what was ours
Stole our people
Branded them niggers as they enslaved them
Always taking, still taking
Not just our lands and resources
Our lives as well
Our ancestors, they were free
Wise in ways unachievable in a classroom
It was simple living
Sowing and reaping
Gathering and foraging
Herbal healing was the cornerstone for their medicine
Postpartum rituals that mothered new moms
Back carrying their babes from birth to toddlerhood
Absorbing mother earths energy barefooted
It was simple, frowned upon and labelled uncivilized
Now reclaimed and sold back to us!
Slow living, organic, homemade, homoeopathy, holistic,
Sustainable, babywearing, bonding, grounding...
Aren't these the very things that were primitive about us?
Our features never good enough
Not a standard of beauty
Only acceptable when appropriated
Our hair we have to defend
Is your afro a political statement?
An act of rebellion
Sticking it to the man?
Our excellence and intelligence
Still come as a surprise!
Life is everyone's birthright
This is a plead for humanity
To review our conditioning
Our deep-rooted biases and prejudice
To learn and unlearn and question our beliefs and social constructs
When humankind is constrained by a simple binary of black or white
The nuances are lost
Our essence and what we bring to the world is left unexplored
We are tired of being presumed guilty and inferior
We are tired of explaining why we are worthy of respect and equal chance
Our children should not have to fight and march for their birthright
It's theirs for the taking.
Dedan Kimathi Wa Waciuri, Kenyan Revolutionary leader, Led the Mau Mau freedom fighters aganist the oppressive British colonial regime in the 1950s, He was later captured and executed because the British government saw him as a Terrorist!When does this end?
The Village 