Injustice
Dr. AK Sterling
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My son's name is Michael Justice Ajani Sterling Michael after his grandfather, not to mention Jordan, Jackson, and Tyson See, he came out fighting Cause nowadays, little black boys don't get no justice Instead, they get profiled, stereotyped, devalued, and taken from us Now, take it from us That ain't no way to live An existence less than tentative, walking on bullet shells, still wearing bibs Went from killing our leaders to killing our kids Oh, what a privilege it is, or must be, not to have to relate Misguided and misinformed, watch how complicity makes way for hate, while pigment or Class Helps the fortunate to better insulate It's been going on for years, but only now is it a topic for national debate When Facebook revolutionaries are talking about, share this meme, video, or photo before It's too late It's funny though, how one's fate can depend solely on the irrational fear prejudice plus Power assigns to each individual's face But we're the ones tripping, huh Asking for it and preoccupied with race or some kind of unjustified angst Stop it I can't breathe or reach my skittles swinging at the playground playing with my new toy Pistol See, I can't help but to feel like you're missing the issue Then again, this really ain't about you Your ability to empathize or be more precise when you generalize Nor is it my responsibility to make you confront the error in your own lives or comfort you Just because you walked with a few signs Stop posing for pictures and open your eyes Actually open your ears and let in the cries And please put away this popular post-racial propaganda that populates my timeline We talked about the injustice of how he died in hashtag Black Lives Matter or Still I Rise Then you reply all lives matter Stop trying to divide Worry about gangsters and black on black crime Now that's fine Though unrelated and an intellectual waste of time Because it's not at all unique in comparison to the scale of white on white crime Not to mention, I thought we held police to a higher standard than everyday citizens who Actually get prosecuted and later held accountable for their crimes No, not this time I see I see The prison industrial complex was created for folk that look like me I got it I guess you could say I just take issue with our strategy Reluctant to recycle the tactics of yesterday As if the enemy is not prepared, protected, and more concerned with today Far from frightened by our marches, riots, and fledgling displays of solidarity Especially while the settler state controls the media and how we are portrayed No, no, no shade However I'm a little ambivalent about what I see on the news and the internets Some think these protests are amazing And others, pointless Some wanted to boycott Black Friday while others saw that as useless Some actually believed that if we put our hands up and yelled, don't shoot, they'd listen And decide not to abuse us Others still even more clueless maintain this is the same as Claudette fighting for a seat On the bus Thus, advocate for non-violence, walkouts, die-ins, and wait for the right one to represent Us Then, there are those more inclined to mistrust like when my father was a Panther they Just Shot back and shouted y'all ain't finna whoop us Yup, a lot of people like the way that sound Except the people who argue it's the government instigating a race war to get troops on The Ground Which would mean previously there was some form of peace going around but who Knows Nevertheless, what are you gonna do when the National Guard runs up in your town and Youngsters Come up missing Tell me, is that really how it's gonna go down Is that why the Patriot Act was written Now I know how them Patriots gonna act but who all gets to be a citizen Sounds a little suspect when anyone can be a suspect or should I say domestic subject But maybe I'm just trippin Or maybe I'm just upset that so many of our brothers and sisters, that's right, ancestors End up in the street bleeding Beyond the pathos of a mother grieve and I'm past perplexed at what I'm seeing It's a targeted extermination of a select group of human beings In fact, one could even argue that it's dangerous just to be black but how do we respond And Not react How do we move forward and not back How do we come together and stay on track Unity, I understand is the collective opportunity to ignore difference and strategically build Community Yet some might say there is no such thing and that there are better ways to organize Complex formations of identity but then that's all theory and doesn't account for what Transpires When the person with the gun is afraid of me See I also heard it said that all cops aren't bad and all whites aren't racist Well since we're stating the obvious not all accusations are baseless and not all Systematic Structures of racism are faceless but as we know absolutes seldom lead to winning Statements And tactics like those merely deflect genuine engagement as well as reflecting ignorance Of the cases, their own subject position and what race is And then there are people who don't like living in a police state and feel caged but don't Mind patrolling and policing what you post on your page Enraged if they see you're not doing your part As if awareness alone is where we end and not start And it breaks my heart We've got problems but no solutions and instead of an active and involved revolution it Seems We've gladly accepted comments or likes as our virtual substitution So I ask what are we doing But I ain't got all the answers like Kanye told Sway just disturbed by the injustices Of our day and some of the things some people had to say So I sift through several circular and shallow arguments to clear the way for some critical Thinking to go ahead and take place However I got good news and that's that my God is a just God which means if you're a Christian you're allowed to do more than just pray but turn the other cheek is what you Say without the proper Jewish context and sloppily applied to the day But hey he ain't calling us to be no fool when the Bible says to die daily it's a metaphor Don't mean just let him kill you or turn a blind eye Hide behind your faith and oversimplify get scared and not try blame the victim would Just comply See I care when you ask why Did you think it was just my enemies Hardly I got a license to love my people too Hardly because fighting racialized oppression ain't nothing new It's something Moses, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther all went through It wasn't an apostle Paul who said he'd rather be cursed for his people's sake and Jesus Didn't he rush to the cross to get his hands dirty not worried about the rust on the stakes Yes I believe so So whatever it takes I'm gonna act and fight for my people to be treated equal until he Gets back That's my pact Actually I'm gonna make a plaque that reads my son's name is Michael Justice Ajani Sterling Ajani is West African for he who wins a struggle and his mother and I weren't referring to No mere scuffle See this boy, this boy's gonna be humble but dedicated to the destruction of injustice And watching it crumble Sterling well that's the clan and the plan is that he grows in wisdom and stature and Actually makes it to become a man His name is a prayer and now we end where we first began with justice
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