A salute to my black brothers.
We celebrate you, we celebrate your history.

I would like to share this poem, "A Poetic Letter to the African American Man"
by Stacey Evans, poet (taken from her book Real Soul Food copyright 1995.

This is for the African American Man.
He is a husband, a father, my brother, cousin,
uncle, nephew and friend.  Let it be said that
you are loved.  You are appreciated in deed.
Your struggle, the blood, sweat and tears
have not gone unnoticed.  If I could stand
in proxy and ask forgiveness on behalf of
every woman who has hurt, disrespected,
degraded and taken advantage of you, I would.
If it helps any, I do.

Your counterpart, the African American Woman
has had to discover and rediscover her role
individually as well as how she relates to you.
Affirmation is what you desire.  Support and
comfort is what you crave and yet there is
conflict and constant division.
We desire to see you take your rightful place in
our homes, society and relationships.

Glory to God for a mighty black man of God, for
he that is seeking God's direction and purpose
for his own life is a man who will know his
rightful place and he will see the wives,
mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, nieces, and
friends become less and less complex.

Often misunderstood you are.  How we long to
know your mind, heart, your feelings, fears,
hurts and triumphs.
We want to help you realize your dreams.
The key word is help, not take, intimidate, or
discourage you from those dreams.
I love you very much African American Man.
I love you for who God created you to be, not
what society said you must be.
I want to know you, help me know you.
I want to love, encourage and uphold you.
Help me to do all three.  Oh, how I desire to see you rebuild
what centuries and years have tried to tear down.

I support you, I salute you, I pray for you and yes,
I love you African American Man.


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Beautiful Black Nubian King

  by  Patricia Newman-Harris & Joel Williams

 

Black, bold and beautiful, My Black Nubian King,

It is for you that my heart sings
Though others seem not to know your true worth
I know God had a purpose for putting you here on earth
It is by your side I will abide
I am your Nubian Queen and we were meant to reign supreme
You are of royal birth
Sent to rule the earth
Above others you tower
When you use your God-given power
You were ordained to lead others to truth, but
Have you put that gift to use?
Meant to be the head and not the tail
You were never meant to be rotting away in jail.
It is your strength that others fear.
They know the reason you are here.
That is why they try to keep you in check
By placing a foot upon your neck
Why do you wander the world lost?
Is it all a part of slavery’s cost?
You were stolen long ago.
A horrible part of history, yes, I know.
You were bought and sold all for a price.
But God is your anti-theft device.
Because of him, the lost can be found
And things can be turned around
The sleeping can open their eyes
And one day rise
No longer should your power be bridled
No longer should your gifts be idled
No longer should these things be hidden deep inside
Next to your sense of pride
You may have lost track of where you are supposed to go, but
The inherent power within your veins has never ceased to flow
Your eyes have not seen,
Nor can your mind dream
Of the blessings you will redeem
My Nubian King,
Begin to stand tall
God will never allow you to fall
Begin to walk in pride
There is no time to hide.
You are of royal birth
It is time to fulfill your purpose here on earth
When you begin to walk in the authority that is yours to claim
The world will never be the same.
I am your Nubian Queen
Wondrous things in you I have always seen
My Black Nubian King
That is why it is you that my heart sings

Black History Month--Celebrating Our History

You Can’t Keep a Black Man Down

You can’t keep a black man down

When confronted with an obstacle,

He will just go around

When they tried to break his spirit

He wasn’t having it

They tried to steal his pride

But they couldn’t take what was inside

They tried to take his history,

But they couldn’t take the story.

They tried to take his rights,

But he continued to fight.

They tried to steal his destiny,

But God wouldn’t let it be.

They tried to steal his hope,

But his faith was beyond their scope.

They hung him from a tree,

But he never stopped trying to be free

In spite of all that was done,

Like the morning sun,

He keeps rising to the top

He will never stop.

They said he would not survive,

But he is still alive.

You can’t keep a black man down

When confronted with an obstacle,

He will just go around.

.

They Endured

Through the degradation of slavery,
They endured.
Their lives were not their own,
But they endured.
When their families were ripped apart,
They endured.
Nothing broke their will.
Nothing broke their spirit.
Nothing broke their determination.
Through it all,
They endured.
We must remember their strength,
Their determination,
Through it all,
We must remember their strength,
Their determination,
Dwells within us.
Ever time we are paralyzed by fear,
Remember,
When we become weak,
Remember,
When we feel the desire to quit.
Remember,
Every time we grow discouraged
Remember.
Every time we are knocked to our knees.
Remember.
We must get up,
Stand up.
We can't surrender to defeat.
Stand on your feet.
Keep striving,
Keep believing.
Stand your ground,
Amidst strong winds,
Just like those to whom we are kin.
It is your duty and mine.
To leave something behind.
Because, through it all,
They endured.

They Endured is part of a collection of poems
from You Can Live Your Dreams published on Lulu.com

TO THE LEGENDS OF OUR PAST

To our ancestors,

Our spiritual intercessors,

To the legends of our past
Thank you for allowing us to walk a clearer path.
As we travel the hallowed halls of time.
Memories of you always come to mind.
To the pioneers that blazed freedom’s trail,
That, through faith, prevailed.
To those such as Abraham Lincoln,
Who wrote proclamations,
Declarations
And Civil Rights Bills
Trying to cure society’s ills.
To those who fought to right the world’s wrongs,
To eradicate,
Racial injustice, bigotry and hate.
You sacrificed,
You paid the price.
To those who carried the burden of race.
Died for being in the wrong place.
To Martin and John,
Malcolm and Medgar,
To Rosa Parks
Who sparked
The flame igniting this country’s emancipation
From the bonds of discrimination.
To Jane Pittman,
Harriet Tubman,
W.E.B. Dubois and George Washington Carver,
To the firsts at schools such as Yale, West Point and Harvard,
To those who paid their dues trying to integrate segregated schools,
To our musicians who sang and played jazz, gospel and blues,
From Billie Holiday
To Cab Calloway,
Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong and Tommie Dorsey,
To Bo Jingles, the Nicholas Brothers, Sammie Davis Jr.
And all those who came into the back
To tap and perform their act.
To the pioneers of movies, television and radio.
To Hattie McDaniel, Eartha Kitt, Josephine Baker
And Lena Horn
That took America by storm
And paved the way for the Halle Berry’s
And Oprah Winfrey’s of today.
To those men who pioneered the fields of biology,
Geology and Astronomy.
To the legends of music, literature and poetry,
Without you there would be no record of our history.
To the legends that led this country in sports
Like football, baseball, basketball, boxing, track and on the courts,
To athletes like Arthur Ashe, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph,
Jackie Robinson and to the Jack Jackson’s of our past
That taught us how to play with class.
To those for whom justice was blind.
To those who fought on the front lines and stepped on mines,
Commanded the sea and commandeered the skies.
To brave black men
Like the Tuskegee Air Men,
Who soared the clouds
And made us proud.
You sacrificed,
You paid the price.
We can never thank you enough.
No, we can never thank you enough.
To all those that died with unfulfilled dreams and wishes
Wanting to do more than clean toilets and wash dishes.
To my brother’s and sisters born on African soil
That died on slave ships and were thrown away with
America’s spoils.
To those who survived to be enslaved and chained,
Sold and renamed for America’s gain.
To those who awakened at the rooster’s crow
Working to repay a debt they never owed.
To the many slaves
Buried in unmarked graves.
To those who died hanging from a tree
Never knowing what it meant to be free.
From the great men to the unsung heroes
That this world will never know.
To the legends of our past,
Because of you the path is clearer,
The vision nearer
Than ever before.
You led us to the door.
Now our dreams are ours to conceive
Because of you we can believe.
You endure the pain
You suffered the blame.
We can never thank you enough.
No, we can never than you enough.
We celebrate your creativity
We thank you for our history.
To the legends of our past.
Thank you for creating a clearer path.
To the pioneers that blazed freedom’s trail
That through faith prevailed.
You sacrificed,
You paid the price.
We can never than you enough.
No we can never thank you enough.
To our ancestors,
Our spiritual intercessors,
To the legends of our past
Thank you for allowing us to walk a clearer path.

 Copyright P. Newman-Harris