This is not a small voice
you hear               this is a large
voice coming out of these cities.
This is the voice of LaTanya.
Kadesha. Shaniqua. This
is the voice of Antoine.
Darryl. Shaquille.
Running over waters
navigating the hallways
of our schools spilling out
on the corners of our cities and
no epitaphs spill out of their river mouths.

This is not a small love
you hear               this is a large
love, a passion for kissing learning
on its face.
This is a love that crowns the feet with hands
that nourishes, conceives, feels the water sails
mends the children,
folds them inside our history where they
toast more than the flesh
where they suck the bones of the alphabet
and spit out closed vowels.
This is a love colored with iron and lace.
This is a love initialed Black Genius.

This is not a small voice
you hear.

^{A Found & Scrambled Diss Poem}

Negro Women in Greenville
in a special meeting.

Decided the members of council
get their wives to be cooks
and laundresses.

Their wives, able bodied
have declined to work. 

The result being Negro women
and wives of colored soldiers
will be prepared not to work—
refuse employment
without any reason whatever.

Negro Women can get along 
without working
for exceedingly difficult families.

For this class of loafers,
Negro Women flatly refuse 
to carry the labor.

 

^{July 4, 2024}

^{The Greenville News 
October 2, 1918, Page 4}

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Threat of loss of the benefit of the Black bodies 
in bondage caused great fear
The Confederacy didn’t care for Lincoln 
The Civil War had been going on for over an entire year
Lincoln then made a power move to get them to conform 
He signed the Emancipation Proclamation it didn’t work though 
the Confederacy pushed back with great determination
After two years of battle full of frustration and ultimate humiliation 
In April of 1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered ending the Civil War
But see Black people were not truly free until 
Freedom had blessed each and every door
One instance was marching into Galveston Texas on June 19th 
The News was spread strong and loud
The Abolitionist had succeeded a true moment to be proud 
The 13th Amendment it plugged up 
Some of those holes that the Emancipation missed
Please I encouraged you to put both of them on your must-read list
The rejoice began the rebuilding surging through our Black veins 
Building our community securing our Black reigns
We are qualified builders and planters sowing the seed of upliftment
Something out of nothing we build our own equipment
Depending on where you lived is when you celebrated being free
We didn’t have cell phones or the internet 
News took some time to reach every city 
April of ’62 began the festivities in DC
Tennessee gotta glimpse at the end in August of ’63
Ohio grasped a hold to freedom in 1862 in September
While Kentucky didn’t see freedom until 1865 in December
Many Variations of a well-deserved celebration called by many names 
Freedom Day Jubilee Day Emancipation Day 2nd Independence Day
Throughout the United States freedom was celebrated
Striving for upliftment not to be underestimated
America was taking a turn and now suffered a great depression
Designed laws which supported systemic oppression
Fueled by greed corruption racism and domination
None of that was stopped by the Emancipation
Housing and education and the onset of strong Jim Crow
Laws were being passed to protect the status quo
Civil Rights movement Kwanzaa Boycotts 
And the Rebellion caused the celebrations to be reignited
Celebrating Black people abolishing racist laws got me excited
Experiencing horrible tragedies we still try to instill hope
Through education and upliftment we will have growth
You changed the world George
Juneteenth is a National Holiday
An accumulation and great anticipation as we 
Come together to strive forward 
As a unified Black nation
Going forward what does that mean
One more day to sleep in and take a long bath
One more day that you can get time and a half
One more day from work or school
One more BBQ to go to
I challenge you to look into the eyes 
Of our beautiful Black children 
And make them a promise
You will strive for them to learn all that they can be a leader in the crowd
You will support perseverance to keep pushing and to be proud
You will do your very best for them so they can succeed
You will encourage them to thrive and plant the seed