This is My Poem
Poem written by Fatou (but her friends call her Fanta), age 17
As the Black Lives Matter movement strengthens across the globe, it’s more important than ever for the non-Black community to listen to, learn from, and amplify Black voices. This includes listening to and learning from youth voices, our leaders of tomorrow.
The following poem was written by Fatou (her friends call her Fanta), a 17-year-old high school junior from the Bronx, for her U.S. History final about the Black Lives Matter movement.
In her own words:
"What inspired me to write this poem basically is because black people have faced racism throughout many generations and it still happens till this day, it’s like the same story but in different times.”
Please consider donating to Fatou’s GoFundMe fundraiser to contribute to her college savings fund. We know that Fatou's future is bright and we'd like to help contribute to the growth of that bright future. Every dollar helps a promising young woman pursue a college education. No amount is too small.
This is My Poem
Growing up as an African girl they laugh at us and misuse our names
Looking at my continent with eyes of shame
It funny because you’re the same as me
All because you’re ignorant about your roots and want to deny that segregation ever happened even slavery
We see that sons, fathers, and brothers are killed because they’re black
But that won’t stop me from admiring my dark melanin skin because the darker the berry the sweeter the juice
All because they never want us to know the real Africa
The Africa they see is suffering from hunger and poverty
But the Africa I continue to represent everyday is the one with the rich African soil they snatched our beautiful ancestors away from
The delicious foods with different tribes and languages and we continue to hold hands because we don’t believe in differences
The blood of our warriors spill on our land because they want to take it from us by force no negotiation
Because we want to have peace and equality in our nation
There's cries from the heavens to think that Nelson, Martin, Malcolm fought for our black rights
But we continue to say we are not the same
This is the time we need to hold onto each other the most
Because they don't see nothing as a threat other than black folks
And no don't say there's “liberty and justice for all”
When our lives could end with just one call
They can kill me and never pay the price
So don’t judge me whenever I look over my shoulder because ya playing with my life
ALL LIVES DON’T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER BECAUSE WE AREN’T A PART OF ALL LIVES MATTER
