We’ve been blinded
By our own ignorance.
We back our justifications
With opaque statistics
To undermine the struggle
Of an average African American
In White America because
We would rather stay
As an ultracrepidarian
Than become enlightened,
Ironic, is it not?
But I’ll ask you a simple question,
How do you deny the course of history?
As you’ve probably guessed it,
I will be giving you
A valuable history lesson,
A lesson still bedevilling
The hearts and souls
Of the black community today.
But don’t get it twisted,
This won’t be the usual prosaic lesson.
This is a timeline
Of how the black community
Went from docile to erratic,
Obedient to disobedient,
Lawful to lawless,
Manageable to dispensable.
So, shall we begin?
The perception of black people,
In the inception of slavery,
Was that of a meek nature.
They had dreams of grandeur,
An almost childlike curiosity
About the vast plains
Beyond their slave quarters
And cotton fields.
Not only were they enslaved
By their masters,
They were enslaved by their ignorance
Of a world beyond their captivity.
In the 19th century,
White actors wore black make-up
To portray black people
In order to make
Their films more “comedic”.
The 1939 classic,
‘Gone With The Wind’
Depicts slaves untroubled
By their lives, so much so,
That they even fight off the freedmen.
How lovely!
Literature wasn’t granted
Any amnesty either,
Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
A literary classic,
Portrayed Uncle Tom