dedicated to the SPEAK! fam, inspired by keith boykin's "a poem for the millennium march" (must read) and "why do you speak?" by adele (coming out to you soon)
i speak because
overgeneralizing analogies
silence my people
used by folks promoting their struggle
our lives
our histories
are reduced to lines in keynote speeches
our bodies to checkmarks on your discriminatory policies
our votes taken for granted and forgotten in your campaign
and we should be thankful?
where are you getting this from?
this week another young black man was shot in the back by a cop
they called him k-roc
kenmara davis was supposed to graduate in may
be a teacher
now he’s dead
this is in *our* town
i didn’t see you at the vigil…
i don’t believe a person of color sitting on tv reading the news is a victory
how am i going to celebrate them when the stories they are telling
criminalize us
divide us
allow us to be killed
and then laughed at
or hated?
hell no
i speak because
i am more than that
we are more than that
i speak because eli says we are still wandering the streets, caps in hand
& alice assures me that if we mapped the web of friendship,
this is how we’d find each other
i speak because sydette is asking how i stay tethered to community
& mia says it is through a multi-issue politic that does not require us to sell ourselves short
i speak because nadia is speaking
naomi is speaking
adele is speaking
hillary is speaking
lex is speaking
moya is speaking
mike is speaking
ryan is speaking…
our leaders will always claim
to speak for us
while ignoring us
and we know
the only way
we will be heard
is by typing into our speechboards
signing fiercely
opening our lips
liberating our tongues
speaking
speaking...
Soma Buy - HQ Pharmacy
another shapeshifter living among the digital masses
About the Blogger
Cripchick is a powerchair-roaring, young queer disabled woman of color. She grew up on an army base in the South for 18 years and continues to live (and love) North Carolina. She has been a disability/crip youth organizer since high school. Cripchick is crushing hard on popular education, radical women of color feminism, and people practicing liberation & interdependence.
YES! yes yes! speak it
Posted by nosnowhere on December 7th, 2008.
Hi cripchip, I just wanted to let you know that I love your poetry and your energy and your blog. I have been visiting your blog regularly for several months – so I guess I am a bit overdue in mentioning that its awesome. Thanks for speaking! :)
Posted by Jenn on December 12th, 2008.
jenn, thanks!! that’s so sweet. i hope we will get a chance to connect, thank you for stopping by : )
Posted by cripchick on December 14th, 2008.
And I’m listening!
Love you (mi familia),
Adele
Posted by Adele on December 16th, 2008.