Reflections on the recent tragedies and protests.
In light of the ongoing efforts of protesters worldwide against the systemic racism and systemic violence, corruption, and authoritarianism of police forces, The BlackQuaker Project shares the following poem by Dr. Abdoulie Sallah. Dr. Sallah is a senior lecturer of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at Coventry University, UK. He is committed to challenging hegemonic norms of capitalist infrastructure and defending networks of mutual aid in communities of the Global South. Below is his beautiful poetry on Black strength and resilience. We are grateful to our friend, pan-Africanist Ade Olayia, Nigerian graduate student in the UK and UNESCO researcher, for bringing it to our attention.
I AM A BLACK MAN
I am a black man
I am what I was born to be
I am what I am
I am what I will always be
A black man
You may know me as a Nigga
Some of you may know me as a Negro
Others may know me as a person of colour
But I am what I am
And what I will always be
A black man
You may not identify with my identity
You may not live my life
You may not dwell in my disposition
You may not recognise my reality
For I am what I am
And what I will always be
A black man
You may not want me to be the embodiment of the highest ideals of human aspiration
But to be at the back heap of human aspiration
You may not want me to overcome to become
You may not want me to become to overcome
You may not want me to be resolute but be dissolute
You may not want me to live with dignity but to live in custody
For who I am
And what I will always be
A black man
I am a black father
I am a black brother
I am a black son
I am a black husband
I am a black member of the human race
For I am what I am
And what I will always be
A black man
I am neither a crime nor a criminal
I am neither anger nor an aggressor
I am neither evil nor the devil
I am neither danger nor dangerous
I am neither violence nor violent
I am neither hopeless nor useless
I am neither a toxin nor an intoxicant
I am neither an imbecile nor imbecilic
I am neither stupidity nor stupid
Although I am what I am
What I will always be
A black man
I am intelligent
I am strong
I am beautiful
I am positive
I am gentle
And yes I am a black man
What I was born to be
And what I will always be
I do not need your validation
I do not need your legitimisation
I do not need your patronisation
To be what I am
What I was born to be
And what I will always be
A black man
By Dr. Abdoulie Sallah
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