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[White Noise]

For Juneteenth

By Jamilah MuhammadPublished 8 years ago • 1 min read

White noise

That’s all it takes to hurt and harm black girls and boys.

We live in a time where People of Color are stressing,

Down on our knees, asking God for a blessing

To get us out of this mess that feels non-stop,

Filled with oppression, depression, regression, but has anyone stopped and thought

That the key to progression is not forgiving and forgetting

But standing tall, fighting for your rights without regretting.

Your actions (only the ones with good intentions though)

Will get you through these rough times, but that’s the kind of shit only a woke negro would know.

Back in the day, they would hose us to the ground

That’s okay though, because now, they found it more practical to just gun us down.

If they gunned me down today, which picture would they show?

A demonstration of my accolades or the one with the jail cell glow?

If I throw away my shot, does that give them the right to shoot at me,

Even if I merely just wanted to sell a damn CD?

What if I was outside, enjoying a birthday celebration,

Then do they have the right to shoot the shot heard around the nation?

White noise; that’s all I end up hearing

Because they shot me first, asked questions second when skepticism began appearing.

Brothers and sisters, please stay close to your roots

They’re ultimately all you have, don’t let them take that from you, too.

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    Written by Jamilah Muhammad