from my african foundation
i produce this amalgamation
the creation
of a limitless mind
brother dee
brother stands for versatility
the dee means i refuse to be defined
through the ages
i have read eight hundred
and six thousand historical pages
i get to one million
i can qualify for a pension
and retire among the black sages
never stopping in my quest
for higher learning
never finshed college
but while summa was cum lawdy
i never ceased aquiring knowledge
now it is 2011
people feeling like they are getting played
people looking at barak sideways
what is this talk about the military
not getting paid
better hope the military dont
from a union
no pay
deployment to the killing fields delayed
nevertheless
i digress
let your mind free ya
i dedicate this joint
to the young brothers and sisters
on point
lady tria
delvin the lionheart
and a black rose named mija
let me extrapolate
from my mind some significant
black historical events
and dont call my intellect common
because truth be told
a lot of people aint got no damn sense
of purpose
but once god is with ya
cant nobody be against ya
so i aint hardly nervous
1900
america is officially segregated in the south
unofficially in the north
thats like saying we got a fine
selection of wine
and the likka store only has taylors port
no black mayors or major public officials
106 blacks lynched during that year
gotta add that to this epistle
one last significant thing
james weldon johnson
wrote lift every voice and sing
and we never stopped
from the blues to hip hop
1901
300 blacks and whites
thats right
dont be surprised
in new york city
formed the naacp
james weldon johnson was elected
first black secretary in 1920
1915
the great migration
southern black moving to the north
hoping to improve their situation
keeping their eyes on the sparrow
though
revisionist history
can make the view
of a black hue
kinda narrow
nov 6. 1928
a historical feat
the 71st congress elects
oscar de priest
the 1st black congressman
since reconstruction
by 2001
there are 39 blacks in congress
without whom america couldnt function
april 15. 1947
jackie robinson
with the brooklyn dogers
makes his major league baseball debut
paving the way for blacks
in other venues
to prove their worth despite their hue
july 26. 1948
president harry truman
desegregates
the military ranks
shout out to bengamin o davis sr
the 1st black general
his dignity
in the face of adversity
deserves a special thanks
sept 18. 1948
ralph j bunche
accepts the nobel prize for peace
dr martin luther king was coming in 1964
so mr bunch was the 1st
but not the least
may 17. 1954
brown vs the board of education
ends public school segregation
of course
it wasnt strictly enforced
but once black water starts to run
it is hard to stop the force
dec 1955
the montgomery bus boycott
lead by dr king
though the black bird is still caged
we shall overcome
it starts to sing
shout out to mya angelou
god bless you
sept 25. 1957
the little rock 9
court enforced desegregation
central high black students
escorted by soldjahs
the devil makes people racist
but we believe in jehovah
on oct 1. 1962
james meredith
needed 12000 as an escort
i know it sounds kinda dippy
but we talking about
the deep south
and he was enrolling at
the university of mississippi
aug 1963
the march on washington
three hundred thousand people
the most amazing sight ever seen
clapping as dr king
delivered
i have a dream
july 2. 1964
the civil rights act
volatile segments of society did react
but it gave blacks
the right to vote
bill clinton and barak obama
take note
aug 11. 1965
the watts riots
the caged bird is singin
loud
i m black and im proud
refusing now to be quiet
april 4. 1968
i hate this date
dr martin luther king
assassinated by the by products
of racist hate
hey
let us segue
to may 2. 1994
nelson mandela
from prisoner to south african president
like i have always said
seed sown in the motherland
sets the black american precident
and now
the moment our anscestors
waited for
since four score
november 2008
barak hussein obama
elected the 1st black president
of the united states
finally
the caged bird was free
so many
kept their eyes on the prize
after all
isnt true equality having the right
to be a critic
mr president
pay the military
tax dollars vary
but not paying them would be horrific
so
there you go
some black historical facts
brotha dee
brain is kinda weary
so with all due respect
let me fade this piece to black
peace and love
All Poetry by D.Greaves/Darwin Greaves by D.Greaves-Darwin Greaves is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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