April Is National Poetry Month!

April is National Poetry Month!

Originally a poem, but later set to music. It became the official song of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and The Negro National Anthem.

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON

Lift every voice and sing

Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, 

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; 

Thou who has by Thy might lead us into the light, 

Keep us forever in the path, we pray. 

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, 

Where we met Thee, 

Lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, 

We forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand, 

May we forever stand True to our God, 

True to our native land

April Is National Poetry Month!

April Is National Poetry Month!

Today I shine the spotlight on a poem written by a student at Northeastern University, that appeared in the historic “Northeastern Onyx: The Black Student Voice of Northeastern University,” student newspaper.

CLEARLY BLACK
(Author Unknown/published in 1976)

Clearly Black
Is
Loving Black people
Each and every one
From the depths of an understanding that
African people have a cultural mission to
Carry on together
Undying love for Black People

Clearly Black
Is
Respecting Black people
Each and every one
Because respect is due
Our potential for struggle which we must
Wage together

Clearly Black
Is
Making a commitment
To some individual Black folks
Which you seriously maintain
So the nation can be built
From family
Real and strong

Clearly Black
Is
Profoundly enjoying Black People
Who wears our culture on their faces
Explain it
In their movement
Illuminate it
Through their creative genius
Protect it
Through their righteousness in struggle
Caress it
With their laughter

Clearly Black
Is
Knowing well our teachings
Which extends backwards now until
Antiquity
Using our ancestors' and elders' great
Wisdom
Practicing our accepted ideology
Every day

Clearly Black
Is
Mutual accountability
A sacred responsibility
To maintain values and standards and ideals
Together
To identify and correct those of our group together
Who do not

Clearly Black
Is
Victimization
Everywhere
Whether Colonial
Or neocolonial
Bringing death
Whether violent
Or slow
Everywhere
Whether that
Triggers
Knows it or not
Everywhere
Death

Clearly Black
Is
Understanding our cultural evolution
Through struggle
Will make greater human evolution possible
Clearly Black
Is
Nguzo Saba
Through which we achieve solidarity and
Strength
Before the containment
Our culture we must
Achieve solidarity and strength
We will know our victory when we see it

Clearly Black
Is
Sitting down with those who
Love respect and enjoy Black
To define and develop our culture

Clearly Black
Is
Our service
Our style
Our music
Our realness
Our art
Our understanding
Our fashion
Our genius
Our sorrow
Our humility
Our faith
Our joy
Our sacrifice
Our humanity
Our labor
Our goodness
Our loving
Pure as they remain
No matter who exploits them

Clearly Black
is
Being clear
About living for our people
And through us for the all

April Is National Poetry Month!

April Is National Poetry Month!

This bredren is a poet from Liverpool, an urban griot, and a professional chef. He has authored four collections of poetry. His poems have appeared in numerous anthologies. Today I spotlight Levi Tafari! Rastafari!

BLACK ROOTS IN BABYLON

Levi Tafari

Spiritually rooted
Culturally aware
A mystical African Atmosphere
A cultural beat on an African Drum
Like the beat of the heart when life began
Black man's roots in a Babylon
A positive vibration in a wicked land
A disciplined man in an undisciplined land
A spiritual fight
A fight against wrong
Art and craft combined together
Music and dance for the brothers and sisters
Natural living upon the earth
But in a Babylon what is life really worth
Pause....
A concrete jungle where it is cold
And a man could a easily lose his soul
A place where the sun barely shines
And the smoking of herbs is a crime
A technical place full of machines
Where a man is not respected as a human being
If you have black skin them say that is a sin
In a land of competition black skin can't win
Now the roots of black culture is here
So Babylonians you better take care
Cause we help build up your land and now we want our share
So give us our African Atmosphere
Give black culture a chance
And let peace and love advance
Cause we're coming out of your trance
And a go straight in an African dance
A cultural education for all black youths
Not a selfish education to make them brutes
Teach Black culture in your schools
Then the running in a Babylon may be cool
Because we're spiritually rooted
We're culturally aware
And we want a culture atmosphere
A cultural beat in an African way
Cause African culture is with us to stay

April Is National Poetry Month!

April Is National Poetry Month!

This brethren is a poet, a critic, an editor, an educator, and a writer. The author of "Dreams in Soy Sauce." His poetry has appeared in numerous poetry anthologies. Today I shine the spotlight on Rohan B. Preston.

ROHAN B. PRESTON
ITALIST CHANT

I Can See buckra a come
Lock-step to start a fray
Coming with them chains and munitions
But I don't feel no way
Nesta Marley, Mosiah Garvey
A flow inna me vain
Malcolm X-mas, Luther Kingdom
Mash them down again
I can hear the missiles a hum
But Jah Jah a the conqueror
At Palmares, Addis Ababa
Duppyman conqueror
Harriet Tubman, King Shaka
Show Jah love for true
Sister Nanny, and Kenyatta
Pass their grace on to you
The one Hannibal, Nefertiti,
All of them refuse to fall
Queen Mother, and Mandibi
All them are apart a me
I can see the armies rolling
But Natty a the conqueror
for our fathers, foremothers
None of them a bangarang
I can hear the mountains calling
Jah Lion a the conqueror
Love you, Papa, love you, Mama
O, Zion a the conqueror
Final conka-conka-kang
Conka-conka-kang
Conka-conka-kang
Conka-conka-kang
Conqueror

April Is National Poetry Month!

April Is National Poetry Month!

A poet, a writer, folklorist, singer, playwright, an actor, comedienne, and an educator. An influential Jamaican figure, who opted to use her native tongue, performing in patois. Instilling pride into the Jamaican language and culture and arousing a proudness within the Jamaican people.

Today I spotlight THE HONOURABLE LOUISE SIMONE BENNETT- COVERLY O.M O.J M.B.E DIP R.A.D.A Litt (Hon)

DUTTY TOUGH
MISS LOU

Sun a shine but tings no bright;
Doah pot a bwile, bickle no nuff;
River flood but water scarce, yawl
Rain a fall but dutty tough.

Tings so bad dat nowadays when
Yuh ask smaddy how dem do
Dem fraid yuh tek tell dem back,
So dem no answer yuh.

No care omuch we da work fa
Hard-time still een wi shut;
We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,
Dem might raise wi wages, but

One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an
We no feel no merriment
For ten poun gawn pon wi food
An ten pound pon we rent!

Saltfish gawn up, mackerel gawn up.
Pork en beef gawn up,
An when rice and butter ready
Dem jus go pon holiday!

Claht, boot, pin an needle gawn up
Ice, bread, taxes, water-rate
Kersine ile, gasolene, gawn up;
An de poun devaluate

De price of bread gone up so high
Dat we haffi agree
Fi cut we yeye pon bred an all
Turn dumplin refugee

An all dem marga smaddy weh
Dah gwan like fat is sin
All dem-deh weh dah fas wid me
Ah lef dem to dumpling!

Sun a shine an pot a bwile, but
Things no bright, bickle no nuff
Rain a fall, river dah flood, but,
Water scarce an dutty tough.

April Is National Poetry Month!

April is National Poetry Month!

Pump Ya Fist!

These brothers & sisters were labeled dangerous, violent, hooligans, uneducated, thugs, menaces, and most wanted. Some went on the become professors at prestigious universities. Today I shine the spotlight on Sister Paulette Frye. Power to the People!

FROM A REVOLUTIONARY SISTER TO A REVOLUTIONARY BROTHER
PAULETTE FRYE

All power to the people brother:
A love with no beginning
The warmth of friendship
The bond of comradeship
The understanding of brothers and sisters
And it blossomed and grew
But the essence did not change
You are my friend, my comrade, my brother
And a Revolutionary who has my highest respect
For a new Black woman loves a new Black man
You are not mine, for you belong to the people
I am not yours, for I must serve the people
Our bodies touch and move apart
You go to another
But together we struggle, and in struggle, we learn to love
And that cannot limit us
It encompasses the entire world
We struggle to be free, we struggle, we fight to love
That all people may love
Our children will be the children of the world
Fighting for our people and the people of the world
Fighting for the possibilities of Humanity
And loving, as we want to love
This is the beginning of a love that cannot end
Not the false love of a dying society
But a new love of a new people
Fighting for a new world
Wherever you are, my love
I'll be with you as you fight
And wherever I am, my love
I'll carry you in my heart as I fight
Together we'll learn to love and we'll teach the world
SHOOT TO KILL ALL THE HATE
“At the risk of seeming ridiculous, I will say
that the true revolutionary is guided by great
feeling of love.”

April Is National Poetry Month!

April Is National Poetry Month!

Today I shine the spotlight on an iconic Black Panther 21, a revolutionary sister, a poet, writer, Teacher, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, the mother of the late Tupac Shakur. Rest in Power!

AFENI SHAKUR
LESSON

Malcolm awoke and saw what appeared to be the mountain of liberation
Then he was murdered
Martin started up that mountain and found there was beauty and lasting peace – he was murdered
Huey went all the way up and came down again to speak to the world of the solidarity there – he was shot & kidnapped
Eldridge saw my desire to go up and showed me the rugged path – he was forced into exile
Bobby took my hand to lead me there and I found the way rough and exhilarating
and of course, he was gagged, beaten and chained
Fred overheard their directions and took to the hill for a closer look -
What he saw made him go back down to share the happiness
When he came back in the valley, all I can hear him say was –
I am a Revolutionary
But, it made no sense, and so I just sat and listened
The next day I heard him repeat this melody as he prepared the morning meal for my child
I heard the words and still
I was quiet; Fred didn't seem to mind
He just kept doing things and singing his song
And then one day the melody of his song was taken up by the evil winds of human destruction
They heard its message and handed to him, the salary of a people's servant
KA BOOM
The air that breathed his message to me was alive with urgency
The mountain became a reality
The tools became friends
The curves became mere objects of jest!
I could sit still no longer
I began to hum his song
As I climbed, as I felt and got up and felt again – I
sang the song of liberation
I AM A REVOLUTIONARY!
I AM A REVOLUTIONARY!