We are Not a Monolith

We are Black, Brown, Yellow & White
We are Light as well as the Night
We are Fat, Skinny, Muscled and Everything In Between
We are Jazz, Rock n Roll, Soul & Blues
We are Hip-Hop, R&B and we are Clypso Too
We are the Sounds of the Caribbean Night
We are Drums and the Cymbals of good old fashion drumline
I am You, You are me

We are the Jehovah witness knockn at your door
We Are Christians, We Are Vodun, We are Muslim, We are so much more
We are Pan African, Kemetic, and Atheist, Don’t be Fooled
We are even Buddhist, Divine Mother God and Hindu, I must include
We are the servers in your banquet halls, managers providing leadership to the staff that abound and owners of banks near city hall.
We are the Rare Air and the common street filth in the gutter
We are High on the Hog as well as a good Low Country boil in the coastlines that have sank.

I am You, You are me
We are billionaires, soldiers, lawyers, like good respectful folks should be
Don’t get twist though cuz we also hood, and my ghetto is down the street.
We are the bitches workn the district you see, and the momma that weeps herself to sleep
We are Mother Africa and the cradle of life
We are the Father of the Mysteries and Creatives that have painted our own destiny
We are the Rosetta Stone , Meroitic language, and the Adinkra Symbols
We are the children of the enslaved, colonized and those who have always been free

I am You, You are me
We are Latinx, Asian, American, and Caribbean my Friend
We are French, Portuguese and European; Hell, we have even been the Queen
We are Fine Dining, Vegan and Barbeque, and Vegetarian
We are Coast to Coast, Urban, Suburban and Rural farmlands.
We are the Sword, We are the Shield
We are the Guns, and We are the ship that provide passage to the Motherland

I am You, You are me
We are Masculine and Femininity energies, Some choose to be both at one time
We are that Good Vibration, you feel deep down in your soul
We are anger that rages on, We are pain that numbs, We are the joy that is divine
We are Poor, We are Rich, We are Strong and The weak.
We are the PHD and the un-degreed
We are Shrimp and Grits, Red beans and Rice as well as the Oysters on the half Shell
Unfortunately, we can also be the crabs in the barrel
We are blue, we are purple, yeah, we are red too
We are booty shaking, break dance making, Gospel Praising
We Are African, But Guess What So Are You.
© 2022 Shante Nixon. All rights reserved
WHY I WROTE THIS POEM:
I wrote this poem (Opens in a new window) last year about African Diaspora not being a monolith. I wrote that poem due to respectability politics in our community, because of the level of harm it cause to all of us, the upper crust, lower crust and all that fall in between.
These Are My Thoughts,
Shanté (Opens in a new window)
© 2023 Shanté Nixon (Opens in a new window). All rights reserved