Poem: A Tribute to Black History

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alt text By JaCarla Anderson, Reporter, The Real Chi
 
 

It’s Black History Month

You know what that means

It’s time to celebrate

But it’s also time to reflect and educate

You see Black History Month

Is a month dedicated to acknowledging and highlighting

The STRONG Black kings and queens

Who have paved the way for people with the same skin color as mine

Through those praises of accomplishment

We also have to acknowledge their trials and tribulations

MLK was the object of several violent attacks

He received threatening phone calls

And even his house was bombed

Yet he rose above it all and led the March on Washington

Shirley Chisom was the FIRST Black woman elected to Congress

When they tried to exclude her from the table

She brought her own folding chair

Maya Angelou dealt with oppression in several areas

While fighting for human rights, people fought against her because of the color of her skin

But instead of letting those obstacles stop her

She used her voice in literature to speak up for not only herself but everyone

Jesse Owens ran for our country at the Olympics

He won medals and broke records

Yet was snubbed by the President of the United States

No invitation to the white house and no recognition of the barriers he brokes back then

You see the people I have just named will be celebrated all month long

Because whether people want to admit it or not

They gave black people a fighting chance in this world today

Reflecting back on the past is never a bad thing

Using the knowledge of back then and using it to move forward now

Black History Month shows us the people who should inspire the black community

To NEVER give up

We are stronger than we know and braver than we think

Because of them I know that nothing can hold me back

Especially words from haters

Who want to keep me on the ground level 

I am a strong independent Black woman

And I will soar above any and everyone who has doubted me

I am a leader of the next generation

I won’t allow anyone to step in my way 

on my path to the future

I am the type of leader who will use my knowledge for the benefit of the people 

I will use my voice for the greater good of all people

I won’t let the color of my skin be a setback but a plunge forward and you shouldn’t either

Happy Black History Month