Since We’re Talking (Let’s Talk About The Talk)

Tags

art is activism, black lives matter, police killings, social justice, the talk

Around the time when children learn their ABC’s,
Kids that look like me learn how to survive The New Jim Crow.

I remember when my Grandmother told me:
“Grandson you can’t be outside playing with no toy gun!”

She always feared them boys in blue would come through and shoot me for playing with a toy gun.

I remember learning about police killings while the neighborhood children were playing in the snow.

I remember when my Grandmother told me:
“Look at me boy. And pay close attention.
I know you are young, gifted, and black
But to them
You will always FIT THE DESCRIPTION.”

O how the fear in her eyes pierced my soul…
She feared when I let my hair grow.
She feared when I wore a hoodie.

I remember wondering:
Why is that Black Children can’t wear a ski mask when it’s cold?
Why are Black Men considered militant when we let our hair grow?
How they don’t mistake the white kids for hoodlums when they wear a hoodie?

Yet what I remember most about talking with my Grandmother was her affinity for her people…
Always dressed in black.
Always ALL THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
I remember the little lady that never took no shorts.
I remember the little lady that taught me to dream BIG.
I remember her wise words.
I remember her convictions.

I remember how Grandma would speak life unto me,
But for the life of me,
I can’t remember discussing the birds and the bees.
Yet I remember “The Talk.”

I remember self-care over welfare…
Nah, I don’t remember the birds and the bees.
Yet I remember many Talks.

O Grandma
I remember when you said:
“In the sixties, over 70% of the world’s dope fiends lived right here in New York.”

I now understand what you meant when you said they’d rather see us dead, addicted, or imprisoned.

Thank you for demanding that I take command of the language
And thirst knowledge.
Who knows who I’d be if you didn’t feed my poetic diction.

My poems are not poems…
My moral compass guides me to draw attention to social injustice, systemic racism, and other afflictions.

–@StevieStreets #historyheritageandhumanities #poem | Since We’re Talking (Let’s Talk About The Talk)

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Peace to Mark Clark and Fred Hampton

Tags

black lives matter, black panther party for self-defense, homage, I am a revolutionary, I am Fred Hampton

mourning vibes:

Wasn’t no fear, wasn’t no compromise… -Fred Hampton | #iamarevolutionary #powertothepeople #youcantkilltherevolution

・・・
#codeofthestreets:
We’d like to take a moment to celebrate the life of Fred Hampton
We invite you to never forget the day that the FBI and Chicago PD murdered Mark Clark and Fred Hampton

Peace to the ancestors, Mark Clark and Fred Hampton

I AM A REVOLUTIONARY
I AM MARK CLARK
I AM FRED HAMPTON

It’s 49 years to date since them pigs played judge – jury – and executioner

Enter Black America anywhere in the United States,
Them pigs are still playing judge – jury – and executioner

O and The Justice Department it’s just a department…
When we gon’ get justice for all the Mark Clark’s and Fred Hampton’s?

We chant BLACK LIVES MATTER
They mark us for death like they did Mark Clark and Fred Hampton

Dear White People
In case you missed it
We hashtag black lives matter✊🏾
cause the blind eye of justice is still saying Die Nigger Die!

But don’t mind me
I’m just sick and tired of the Black on Black rhetoric
Our brothers and sisters are doing numbers and them alphabet boys want us to die

Yet there will be no fear,
There will be no compromise
ALL THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE

O! All lives matter now huh?
Question:
How is it that those sworn to protect and serve only manage to kill Black People?
Why is it that the epidemic incarceration rates seem to be underpopulated with white people?

When we gon’ talk about COINTELPRO and set my FREEDOM FIGHTERS FREE?

There’s way too many Black Panthers still being held as political prisoners
But don’t take it from me
If you know like I know
NONE OF US ARE FREE, UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE

–@StevieStreets #homage #poem | Peace to Mark Clark & Fred Hampton

Black Lives Matter, Still

Tags

art is activism, black lives matter, black youth, emmett till, mamie till, peaceful protest

We’d like to take a moment to pay homage to the life of Emmett Till…

Sixty-three years later we’re chanting Black Lives Matter still?!

Peace to the mothers that had to bury a son.

Peace to the photographer that captured the harrowing image of a stoic Mamie Till peering at her son.

When will the impunity enjoyed by Make America Great Again extremists come to an end?

Why do tough on crime conservatives fail to prosecute when the plaintiff has pale skin?

It’s been sixty-three years to date and America continues to fail the Black Youth.

Peace to the Emmett Till Generation and organizations that empower the Black Youth.

Let us never forget brother Emmett nor the brothers and sisters slain neath the blind eye of society.

Question: How can one afford a peaceful protest, while our brothers and sisters are dying violently?

–@StevieStreets #artisactivism #poem | Black Lives Matter, Still

Hello, 9-1-1

Tags

art is activism, black buying power, black lives matter, i'm calling the police, racial profiling

Hello, 9-1-1, I – SEE – BLACK – PEOPLE…
I thought we were making America great again.
I’M NOT RACIST… but, I’m not comfortable with that color of skin.
Hello, 9-1-1; I feel threatened, I see Black People.

What do you mean they did nothing wrong? They’re Black!
I think they’re taking this equal rights and justice for all thing a little too far.
Certainly, you can check their ID for warrants or escort them out in handcuffs and let them loiter in your patrol car?!
I have every right to call the police on innocuous people of color; I’m not racist… but, I thought we were taking our country back.

QUIT YOUR SH*T AMERICA,
What the… [What?!] are you thinking?!

White-Privilege has racial profiling trending,
Let that sink in.

The racial overtones are loud and clear
And the make america great again undertones are seething.

When my people commence to apprehend the value of BLACK BUYING POWER,
BLACK LIVES MATTER will really matter.

We gotta hit these bigots in the wallet;
We believe in God,
They believe, In God We Trust,
And those are two totally different matters.

Dear Black America:
Collectively, we’re like an open hand,
United we’re like a clenched-fist, we can no longer afford to stand at opposite hands;
For those that understand…
We need Moor Banks,
If you strike the shepherds, the sheep will scatter,
We need to elect Moor District Attorneys and lobby behind our Lawmakers,
If we expect to rectify these matters.

–@StevieStreets #artisactivism #poem | Hello, 9-1-1

Hashtag Black Panther

Tags

black buying power, black lives matter, black panther movie, black panther party for self-defense, collective economics, vibranium, wakanda forever

Now that everyone is talkin’ ‘bout the black panther movie…

 

Can we talk about the Black Panther Party for Self Defense?

 

Can I get a Power to the People Forever?

Can you grip your fingers together

And raise a clenched-fist, one time, for Bobby and Huey?

 

Can we free our Political Prisoners

And arm our brothers & sisters with legal defense?

 

Now that everyone is talkin’ ‘bout the black panther movie…

 

May I advise, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised?

Can I get a HANDS OFF ASSATA FOREVER?

 

Would it be ill-advised to surmise Black Revolutionaries beyond a movie?

When we gon’ realize Black Buying Power beyond the opening week of a movie?

 

Can we get all the brothers & sisters in the streets struggling to come together?

Can we build our own homes,

Give our brothers & sisters a loan,

And open our own grocery stores?

Can you call upon the ancestors

And answer the call to support those that look like you and yours?

Can we teach unity,

Build our own communities,

And mandate Black Dollars Matter Forever?

 

Now that everyone is talkin’ ‘bout the black panther movie…

When we gon’ realize the world ain’t nothing but a B Movie?

And someone’s always comin’ to save the day in the B Movie.

 

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised…

No one is coming to save the day,

It’s not a movie!

 

My Freedom Fighters Ain’t Free,

The leaders of the Free World don’t move me.

 

When I talk about The Panthers, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout the movie.

Yet I can draw parallels between The Movement and the movie.

 

Melanin is supercharged with sun energy,

Antagonists try to claw the Mali vibes from our cranium.

Sorta like Klaue when it comes to vibranium,

They aim to antagonize and drain our energy.

 

Let’s talk about synergy…

our kinetics are Kemetic,

The Panthers mobilized a united front in every major city.

 

In the spirit of FREE ANGELA;

Can we SET OUR PEOPLE FREE,

In every major city?

 

Now that everyone is talkin’ ‘bout the black panther movie…

 

Can we FREE THE PANTHERS that fought for our way of life in the sixties?

If it’s WAKANDA FOREVER,

Can we bring our Political Refugees home?

Can we talk about how many Panthers died at the hands of the FBI in the sixties?

 

May I ask why my brothers & sisters were incarcerated when they opposed hatred?

Why we still got brothers & sisters detained for joining the fight equal rights in sixties?

 

How did you forget about YOU and YOURS?

How we gon’ smash box office records,

Yet fail to break open prison doors?

 

If it’s WAKANDA FOREVER,

Can I get an I WON’T BE FREE UNTIL ALL BLACK PEOPLE FREE?

Can we scale the walls of justice and SET OUR PEOPLE FREE?

 

May I ask how many of our Panthers are still caged in penitentiaries?

Can you explain to me: Why our Freedom Fighters Ain’t Free?

 

Tell me: How can we smash box office records,

Yet fail to break open those prison doors?

When did you forget about YOU and YOURS?

 

If what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,

When you gonna see past the propaganda?

 

If we can contribute to smashing box office records,

Can we start a collective to build Black owned Banks and Grocery Stores?

 

If you can contribute to smashing box office records,

Why you can’t contribute to building better schools for YOU and YOURS?

 

If REPRESENTATION MATTERS,

When you gonna back Black Filmmakers and stop begging Hollywood for better images of YOU and YOURS?

 

Now that everyone is talkin’ ‘bout the black panther movie…

 

When we gonna talk about the Black Panther Party for Self Defense?

When we gon’ smash those prison doors or get our Freedom Fighters some legal defense?

 

–@StevieStreets #blackpanther #poem | Hashtag Black Panther

 

More Malcolm than Martin

Tags

black lives matter, i have a dream, i too am america, more malcolm than martin, public holiday

Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. -Malcolm X

#codeofthestreets:
I TOO SING AMERICA…
I am the darker brother,
exclaimed Langston
Hughes.

Listen, Black America…
I’m more MALCOLM than MARTIN
same color, different hues.

AIN’T THAT AMERICA…
They killed both brothers;
albeit different views.

The nonviolent
died violently.

The Jim Crow defiant
died violently.

COINTELPRO
couldn’t silence me.

Ghandi was a bigot,
Malcolm had a little more faith,
y’all better stop dreaming and stay woke.

I don’t want no pie in the sky,
the all-seeing eye won’t seal my fate;
the only God they trust is inscribed Federal Notes.

Thee American Dream is a hoax,
they still don’t want me to vote;
my neighborhood consists of liquor store – traphouse – storefront church,
I guess hope is the new dope.

Why they wanna sell me inebriate dreams of tomorrow,
while they live their dreams today
and I succumb to sorrow?

Explain to me why is it so easy for society to witness injustice everyday,
yet equal rights and justice are always coming on the morrow?

I wonder how people that look like me
are considered to be the minority
yet somehow we comprise the incarcerated majority?

I wonder why MLK day is the only public holiday dedicated to a minority?

Why we don’t dedicate holidays to the El-Hajj Malik’s and Fannie Lou’s of society?

Why do they extract brothers like Mumia and Dr. York from society?

I have a dream… and I pray I live to see the day when Sundiata, Mutulu, and Jamil Abdullah are paid retributions and returned to society.

I have a dream… that one day Assata, Kathleen, and Angela will be awarded for their contributions to society.

I have a dream… that one day names like Herman Wallace, Fred Hampton, and Mark Clark will resonate with society.

I have a dream… that women like Afeni, Mary Johnson Lowe, and Ruby Bridges are celebrated for their contributions to society.

I mean…
Why is Malcolm hated?
Why is Martin celebrated?
Why is the alpha Black Male castrated?
Where would we be if Harriet never made it?

–@StevieStreets #publicholiday #poem | More Malcolm than Martin

Hashtag

Tags

hashtag, insert name, social justice, social media, socialism

Between the No Knocks and Stand Your Ground Laws… 

people of color have become fair game;

but IT’S NOT A GAME!

hashtag Insert Name,

another Brother or Sister slain;

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, it’s too many to name.

hashtag IT’S TOO MUCH! 

hashtag I CAN’T BREATHE!

hashtag HANDS UP! 

hashtag FIND OUR GIRLS!

hashtag SAY HER NAME!

hashtag BLACK BOYS DESERVE TO GROW UP TOO!

hashtag SAY HIS NAME!

The writings on the wall… 

hashtag BLACK LIVES MATTER!

Yet another Brother or Sister slain…

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, hashtag Insert Name,

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, it’s become mundane.
Between Jim Crow and COINTELPRO…

people of color have always been fair game;

yet IT’S NOT A GAME!

hashtag Insert Name,

hashtag REMEMBER HARRIET MOORE!

hashtag REMEMBER HARRY MOORE!

hashtag REMEMBER ADDIE MAE COLLINS!

hashtag REMEMBER CYNTHIA WESLEY!

hashtag REMEMBER CAROLE ROBERTSON!

hashtag REMEMBER CAROL DENISE MCNAIR!

hashtag REMEMBER EMMETT TILL!

hashtag…

another Mother, 

another Father, 

another Sister, 

another Brother slain;

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, it’s too many to name.

They killed MARTIN,

They killed MEDGAR,

They killed MALCOLM,

hashtag HIM, hashtag HIM, hashtag THEM;

there goes the eyewitness news team, 

hashtag ANOTHER BLACK MALE SLAIN.

They killed FRED HAMPTON,

They killed ZAYD MALIK SHAKUR,

They killed CHRISTOPHER WALLACE,

They killed TUPAC SHAKUR,

hashtag HIM, hashtag HIM, hashtag THEM;

there goes another Black Voice slain,

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, it’s become mundane.
Between Colonialism and The U.S. Correctional System…

people of color have always been fair game;

but IT’S NOT A GAME!

hashtag THE WAR ON DRUGS IS CHEMICAL WARFARE.

I guess all that is fair is foul and all that is foul is fair…

Why’d they impose The Rockefeller Drug Laws after they put the needle in our veins?

Why’d the Reagan Administration flood our neighborhoods with crack cocaine?

Why the land of the free wanna keep us in chains?

they shackled AFENI,

they shackled ASSATA,

they shackled ANGELA,

hashtag HER, hashtag HER, it’s too many to name.

hashtag FREE ANGELA, 

hashtag HANDS OFF ASSATA,

hashtag SAY HER NAME!

hashtag REMEMBER FREE HUEY,

hashtag REMEMBER H. RAP BROWN,

hashtag THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE MOVEMENT that are still locked in the slammer.

hashtag THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED, hashtag THIS AINT A MOVIE.

hashtag I AM ELAINE BROWN!

hashtag I AM FANIE LOU HAMER!

hashtag ALL THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE…

hashtag REMEMBER FREE THE SOLEDAD BROTHERS!

hashtag FREE MUMIA!

hashtag FREE MUTULU!

hashtag BRING OUR POLITICAL REFUGEES BACK!

hashtag STAY WOKE, we’re under attack.

hashtag THEY UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TRIED TO WIPE US OUT WITH HEROIN AND CRACK.

hashtag WHY ARE ALL THE PRISONS FILLED WITH BROWNS AND BLACKS?

Why’d the Clinton Administration privatize the prisons then impose the Clinton Crime Bill?

How’d we go from the North American Free Trade Agreement to Omnibus Crime Bill?

Why do they cut school budgets and mandate money for prisons to be built?

Why do they fail to prosecute the police when people of color are killed?

How long are we going to pretend we don’t see the genocide supervised by every U.S. President from Nixon to Clinton?

In the land of the free… police get off scot-free when they blatantly murder people that look like me;

meanwhile, my Freedom Fighters are still caged in prisons.

Pay Attention:

hashtag SUNDIATA STILL AINT FREE!

hashtag HERMAN BELL STILL AINT FREE!

hashtag VERONZA BOWERS STILL AINT FREE!

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, another Brother or Sister in chains.

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, hashtag Insert Name.

hashtag FREEDOM NEVER RINGS IF YOUR BLACK IN AMERICA!

My heart is heavy, they bombed the levees 

after they couldn’t drown us with heroin and crack in America.

Freedom Never Rings… even the Liberty Bell dabbled with crack; 

aint that America.

hashtag THE SCALES OF JUSTICE ARE UNBALANCED IN AMERICA!

Make America Great Again they exclaim;

yet Lady Liberty wears shackles and chains.

hashtag REMEMBER THE STATUE OF LIBERTY’S REDDISH BROWN COLOR,

hashtag REMEMBER HER SHACKLES,

hashtag REMEMBER HER CHAINS.

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, 

hashtag ALL THE PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT HAVE SHACKLED AND CHAINED.

hashtag LESS PRISONS MORE SCHOOLS,

hashtag STAY WOKE, THE AMERICAN DREAM AINT COOL.

Woop-woop! There goes the sound of the police,

another Brother or Sister fondled by the beast…

another Brother or Sister detained,

another Mother restrained,

another Father restrained,

another Sister restrained,

another Brother restrained.

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, Insert Name.

hashtag HIM, hashtag HER, it’s become mundane.
–@StevieStreets #hashtag #poem | Hashtag: #(insert name) parts I, II, and III

Naturally She’s Dope

Tags

bantu knots, black girl magic, black girls rock, black love matters, ebony essence, kinky twists, melanated, natural and happy, natural hair journey, self-appreciation, self-love, twist out

I’m a fan of black girl hips and full lips…
I got a thing for that ol’ black girl magic, I must admit.

I’m a sucka for melanated exoticness and kinky twists.

Ain’t nothin’ like a beautiful sista…
afrobloomin’,
melanin poppin’,
sweet naturalista.

This is dedicated to the natural hair movement;
keep doing what you’re doin’…
Oh how I adore how black girls rock…
Yes! BLACK GIRLS ROCK!

God bless whoever coined the phrase “Black Girls Rock!”
Shout out to Beverly Bond
and all the black women that applaud black women;
I’m lovin’ the bond.
Yes! Black Girls Rock!

I like ’em black and educated,
highly melanated…
black love matters,
you could love it or hate it.
I need a pretty brown that’ll slay with cornrows or locs.
I’m looking for a love that’s not afraid to rock bantu knots.
I’ll probably tie the knot with a beautiful soul crowned with a twist out.

She’s the crown jewel and my muse;
when I meet her, she’ll be natural and happy…
eyebrows on fleek,
pearly white teeth with the twist out.

I got a thing for twists, puffs, and all that stuff; don’t get it twisted.
Let’s be specific;
I got a love jones for chocolate skin tones…
naturally she’s dope,
word to my shea butter soap.

I see heaven in her eyes ’cause the world is not enough.
But where is she?
I’m looking for the woman with the FREE ANGELA tee…

Her heart is golden yet she’s a diamond in the rough;
sweetest thang I’ve ever known yet her shoe game’s tough.

We need to break the Willie Lynch chip…
and she’s a symbol of hope.
We need to kill the Negropean…
and her iconic curls are a symbol of hope.
When I need to know black is beautiful, it’s team natural that keeps me afloat.

Her natural hair journey is an expedition of self-love and self-appreciation…
I had to take a moment to spread love and express my appreciation.
Brown skin…
I’m glad to see you lovin’ the skin you’re in;
’cause naturally you’re dope.

Yeah, I’m a fan of black girl hips and full lips…
’cause naturally she’s dope.

–@StevieStreets ebony essence | Naturally She’s Dope

Melanin Poppin’

Tags

afro bloomin', black girl magic, black girls rock, black love matters, melanin poppin'

I like ’em afro bloomin’ with the melanin poppin’…
FREE ANGELA tee, HANDS OFF ASSATA button rockin’.

Never had a love like this but aint no stoppin’…
When I meet her, we’ll reverse the Willie Lynch doctrine;
the movement’s not an option.

I need a ten with Nefertiti’s allure;
she could be vegan or omnivore,
long as her heart is pure.

I need a Coretta Scott, to invest in my intellectual stock.
I need a Betty Dean, to safeguard my Deen.

I need to convene with a Nubian queen that won’t intervene;
when I meet her, she’ll understand my debt to society…
her wisdom will hold my interest, we’ll invest in society.

I’m looking for that ebony essence to jet by the side of me;
I need a Harriet Tubman with Lauryn Hill writing skills.
She could be fly as Ruby Dee,
long as she’s fierce as Ruby Bridges when it’s time to build.

–@StevieStreets #blacklovematters | Melanin Poppin’ revisited

#ITSTOOMUCH

Tags

#itstoomuch, black lives matter, dear america, die nigger die nigger die nigger die, expletive the police, i too am america, insert name here, it's too many to name, police brutality

Athletes sit down and there’s a public outcry.
Politicians not standing up for justice should be the public outcry.

Unarmed men and women fall victim to those sworn to uphold the law…
civil servants & critics sit on the sidelines.
Athletes take a knee in solidarity to draw attention to the public executions that we all saw…
they’re criticized for sitting on the sidelines.

It’s amazing how the same people that were defending the confederate flag are now concerned with patriotism.
It’s amazing how the same league that didn’t bring athletes out for the national anthem is now concerned with patriotism.

I’m not surprised when justice is not found…
the scales of justice don’t hold no weight, if your skin is black or brown.

This is the same country that planned picnics to go see my people die…
So no; I’m not surprised when I hear echoes of DIE NIGGER! DIE NIGGER! DIE NIGGER! DIE!

They want me to believe that I too am America… but I don’t see why.
No! I don’t see how… I don’t see how they expect me to believe the world’s a better place.
We have Black and Brown people incarcerated at epidemic rates.
We have Black men and women being killed by the police at epidemic rates.

White men that molest children get less time than Black and Brown men that sell drugs in the United States.
White men that rape women get less time than Black and Brown men that fight dogs in the United States.

White men can commit a murder on videotape and never do a day in jail in the United States.
A Black man can get killed with his hands up on videotape…
and before his body is laid to rest, the media will put his character on trial in the United States.

I don’t see how they want me to believe that the times have changed in the United States.
It’s 2016 but it feels like 1958 in America.
I don’t see how we have a bigot as a potential presidential candidate in America.

They’ve been cutting school budgets and privatizing prisons…
but the media won’t relay that to the citizens of America.
The governer is trying take over the schools…
but they’re more concerned with teacher bae in America.

Athletes sit down to stand up for justice and there’s public outcry in America.
Police are killing Black men and women like it’s open season…
yet your eyes are dry America.
We hashtag BLACK LIVES MATTER and they say all lives matter…
aint that America.

Dear America, we hear you…
sweet land of liberty – right?
Equal rights and justice for all…
all but the Blacks and Browns – right?

It’s all about the green…
green eyes and greenbacks – right?
I hope you remember your statue of liberty is brown…
oxidation made it green – right?

Dear America,
the police killings are becoming much too much.
Dear America,
the disparities of justice are much too much.
IT’S TOO MUCH!
IT’S TOO MUCH!
IT’S TOO MUCH!

–@StevieStreets #insertnamehere, #itstoomanytoname #poem | #ITSTOOMUCH