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 singsThough 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