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Black History Month is over
But the people in charge of this country
Refused to acknowledge it
So I will
From Martin Luther King to Malcom X
To Fred Hampton, to Nina Simone
We've seen them struggle
And fight for a right to exist
Hour by hour
Day by day
They sacrificed their lives
So that we can live ours
And STILL
Racists are championing hate
Siphoning our identity
Then discarding us when they're tired of it
In a month meant to celebrate
I can't help but to think of Keith Porter
Dr. Linda Davis
The others taken from us by ICE
Not to mention Trayvon Martin
Philando Castile
Sandra Bland
Eric Garner
George Floyd
Ahmaud Arbery
And countless others
Who should be celebrating with us
Black is beautiful
We are not costumes
Or objects of cosplay
We are human beings
We are sparks
That rise out of the ashes of plight
We are creatives
In spite of attempts to strip our autonomy
Constantly
We were forced to exist in fight or flight
But now
We are here, to exist, in spite
Joshua Lewis is a master's student studying clarinet performance.
