TO MY SONS AND ALL BLACK SONS
+ My heart beats for you my sons
Come sit with the old man, gather ‘round
I won’t always be here, that day will come
Whenever it does, don’t ever forget I love you tons
Don’t ever forget that we are a team
Keep me with you even when I join the unseen
To your young minds this chat may seem a bit extreme
As you get older you’ll understand what daddy means
You are the vessels of your ancestors’ genesA people whose life has been a journey upstreamYou cannot begin to imagine through what they have beenA people who weren’t even considered human beings
Boys like you were oftentimes left father-less
Sadly, too many of our boys still go through this mess
This would never be you! Don’t look so depressed
To have you my boys, I am truly blessed
For centuries your ancestors have been oppressed
Sometimes I feel like there’s no end to this test
But my boys, we must press on nonetheless
We would not be here if your ancestors had acquiesced
Your ancestors were brought here in ships, compressed
Kidnapped, and of their riches they were dispossessed
Stripped of their language, religion, names, and native dress
Stripped so naked, even stripped of their humanness
Tribal chains were replaced by ropes around their necks
‘this one is strong, a hard worker’; their cargo specs
Mothers and daughters used by ‘massa’ for sex
Methods have changed, but with the same effects
These are not the stories you will read in your history texts
History will teach you that our people had no success
Their history is not about you; you’re just an unfortunate annex
But I will teach you about Forbes, Rodney, Harriet, Nelson and Malcolm X
The world will tell you that you’re capable of nothing complex
But you will let the world know your ancestors were never perplexed
Our people gave the world maths, science, medicine, among other subjects
You are my boys, always command your respect
Sometimes you will hurt for no reason; that’s your ancestors’ painsSometimes you may have visions using your ancestors’ brainsThere is a tower of strength flowing through your veinsYour ancestors were always there; they are not the people who came
Don’t think the world has set you free because it removed the chains
It has built prisons so that your bondage could be sustained
It puts obstacles in your path so you won’t have shit to gain
Forgive my tone, but some things cannot be said tame
It has injected diseases into our people to keep our numbers contained
It has flooded our communities with alcohol and cocaine
Every time you go on the streets, my sons, you risk being slain
They kill us physically then the media kill us again
The world calls us poor while it robs our terrain
How can we be poor with all the resources in our ancestors’ domain
Africa is counting on you, my sons, to rise again
Rise my sons! Climb into your ancestors’ frames
Take a closer look at their empires you’ll see your ancestors’ bloodstains
Upturn their discoveries and you will see your ancestors’ names
There is absolutely nothing that our people cannot attain
As soon as our people unite it will be our time to reign
Black is beautiful no matter how much they call you vain
Whenever you stand for your people you need not explain
The time has passed when we just sit and complain
Those in our path would do well to move to another lane
My father and I have never had this chat
Don’t ever let your sons and their sons say that
My sons, don’t let there be any turning back
My foremost virtue and I hope yours too, is being Black
– by Ronald J. Daniels May 30, 2020 | 3:45 a.m.
