
A Semi-Finalist from the 2020 Button Poetry video contest.
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Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
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Transcript provided by YouTube (unedited)
0:01
it’s black artistry
0:04
from the way that we walk to the way
0:06
that we talk
0:08
from the way that we dress and gain
0:10
underdog success
0:12
there’s an art to being black and it’s
0:13
something we’re proud to express it’s
0:16
like artistry
0:17
issue and me it’s black expression it’s
0:20
what the world don’t want us to see
0:23
it is black artistry we are what song
0:26
may call
0:26
the she is naive and going black in the
0:29
past
0:30
because of them because of them i can be
0:32
me because of them i am free to be a
0:35
part of this black artistry legacy
0:37
because you see gordon gordon left me
0:39
with a stupid trigger finger and a sharp
0:41
eye
0:41
leaving a photography legacy for
0:43
generations even after me
0:45
and then he took some words some
0:47
pronouns adjectives and verbs
0:49
he doubled the art in his heart and
0:51
that’s how he made his mark
0:54
and now i’m making my mark just like
0:56
augusta savage did when she sculpted the
0:58
heart
0:59
i’m just sculpting artwork better known
1:00
as poetry
1:02
and it’s not just for me it’s the black
1:04
artistry i’m trying to tell y’all it’s
1:05
for you and me
1:07
cause our ancestors our ancestors
1:09
created the savagery for us to supersede
1:12
this thing called the legacy
1:14
our ancestors created this savagery
1:18
for us to supersede this thing called
1:20
the legacy
1:21
and it’s black expression because color
1:23
is life and alma thomas taught us that
1:25
when she decided to teach the kids
1:27
and keep painting and rearranging the
1:29
history of blacks
1:31
and to take it back again i’m talking
1:33
way back
1:34
to when sojourner asked ain’t i a woman
1:38
didn’t she paint the perfect picture for
1:41
here i am
1:42
the birth of her word for i
1:46
am a proud black woman pure walking
1:50
black artistry
2:17
you
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
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The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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Photo credit: Shutterstock
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism
Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box
The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer
