{"id":45,"date":"2013-12-10T18:15:19","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T23:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smithinterfaithmatters.wordpress.com\/?p=45"},"modified":"2018-05-21T12:09:24","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T16:09:24","slug":"my-black-friends-laugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/2013\/12\/10\/my-black-friends-laugh\/","title":{"rendered":"My Black Friends Laugh When I Tell Them I’m Black
30 Poems In November"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m\u00a0black!
\n…\u00a0your\u00a0skin\u00a0is\u00a0light<\/p>\n

but\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0black!
\n…\u00a0well\u00a0your\u00a0hair\u00a0is\u00a0too\u00a0curly<\/p>\n

but\u00a0I\u00a0grew\u00a0up\u00a0around\u00a0all\u00a0black people
\n…\u00a0yeah\u00a0but\u00a0you\u00a0got\u00a0mad Spanish\u00a0cousins and\u00a0y\u2019alls accent\u00a0gets\u00a0too\u00a0thick<\/p>\n

when\u00a0y\u2019all\u00a0talk\u00a0fast
\nAnyways\u00a0what\u00a0chu know\u00a0about being\u00a0black?\u00a0What chu\u00a0know about\u00a0slavery
\n<\/span>Your\u00a0people\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0go\u00a0through Jim Crow or\u00a0the\u00a0middle passage
\nMartin\u00a0Luther\u00a0King\u00a0wasn\u2019t your\u00a0king.\u00a0Rosa\u00a0Parks\u00a0did not\u00a0sit\u00a0for\u00a0you.<\/p>\n

So\u00a0what\u00a0chu\u00a0know\u00a0about being\u00a0black?
\nYou\u00a0don\u2019t even\u00a0smoke\u00a0weed!
\nOr\u00a0perm\u00a0your\u00a0hair
\nWhen\u2019s\u00a0the last\u00a0time\u00a0you\u00a0got\u00a0a\u00a0weave?
\nIf\u00a0you\u00a0can\u00a0still\u00a0get\u00a0tan\u00a0in the summer then\u00a0you\u00a0ain\u2019t realllllyyyyy\u00a0black
\nYou\u00a0said\u00a0you\u00a0put\u00a0sofrito\u00a0<\/i>in your\u00a0ramen… Man\u00a0you\u00a0ain\u2019t black!<\/p>\n

How\u00a0many\u00a0of\u00a0your\u00a0family members are\u00a0currently locked\u00a0up?
\nIf\u00a0you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0name\u00a0at least\u00a0five off\u00a0the\u00a0top of\u00a0your\u00a0head
\nyou\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0really\u00a0black.<\/p>\n

How\u00a0many\u00a0pins\u00a0have\u00a0you\u00a0pinned\u00a0to\u00a0your
\nNorth\u00a0Face\u00a0bag\u00a0saying\u00a0R.I.P Trayvon\u00a0Martin?
\nDid\u00a0you\u00a0even\u00a0buy\u00a0the hoodie\u00a0with\u00a0his\u00a0name\u00a0on\u00a0it?
\nOh,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0definitely\u00a0not black.
\nAnd\u00a0no,\u00a0you\u00a0can\u2019t call\u00a0me\u00a0a\u00a0nigga
\ncause\u00a0even\u00a0though\u00a0we\u00a0grew up\u00a0together\u00a0you\u00a0ain’t\u00a0realllllly black<\/p>\n

I\u00a0used to\u00a0braid my\u00a0hair just\u00a0like you
\nI\u00a0used to\u00a0perm my\u00a0hair just\u00a0like you
\nAll\u00a0my uncles\u00a0are locked\u00a0up just\u00a0like yours
\nMan,\u00a0I\u00a0stopped\u00a0wearing pins\u00a0on\u00a0my\u00a0bag because\u00a0I\u00a0ran\u00a0out\u00a0of space<\/p>\n

We\u00a0all\u00a0used\u00a0to\u00a0go\u00a0to\u00a0Brothers\u2019\u00a0Market,
\nbuy\u00a0a\u00a0cheese\u00a0slice\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a025\u00a0cent\u00a0tinny\u00a0after school<\/p>\n

So\u00a0when\u00a0did\u00a0I\u00a0stop\u00a0being\u00a0black?
\nor\u00a0least\u00a0when\u00a0did\u00a0I\u00a0stop\u00a0being\u00a0black to\u00a0you?<\/p>\n

I\u00a0know\u00a0black\u00a0is not twerk it\u2019s\u00a0not perm
\nit\u2019s\u00a0not whitening cream it\u2019s\u00a0not violent
\nit\u2019s\u00a0not ignorant it\u2019s\u00a0not give\u00a0up
\nBlack\u00a0is\u00a0strong\u00a0you\u00a0taught\u00a0me\u00a0that
\nMy\u00a0skin\u00a0is\u00a0too\u00a0light\u00a0to be\u00a0black\u00a0but\u00a0too tinted\u00a0be\u00a0white
\nto\u00a0white\u00a0America\u00a0I am\u00a0black and\u00a0with justification,<\/p>\n

my\u00a0ancestors exploited through Spanish colonization,
\nmy\u00a0ancestors\u00a0brought\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0tres\u00a0cascabeles
\n<\/i>La\u00a0Pinta,\u00a0La\u00a0Nina,\u00a0y\u00a0La\u00a0Santa\u00a0Maria
\n<\/i>We\u00a0are\u00a0blood\u00a0sisters\u00a0because\u00a0my ancestors\u2019\u00a0blood and\u00a0your\u00a0ancestors\u2019 blood\u00a0were\u00a0both spilled\u00a0in\u00a0the boats<\/p>\n

My\u00a0Taino\u00a0empresses\u00a0dragged\u00a0out\u00a0of their\u00a0thrones
\nYour\u00a0African\u00a0queens\u00a0out of\u00a0the Congo<\/p>\n

Tell\u00a0me\u00a0again\u00a0how\u00a0I\u2019m not\u00a0black?
\nHow\u00a0is\u00a0it that\u00a0I\u00a0can\u00a0be\u00a0your\u00a0girl but\u00a0not\u00a0your\u00a0sister?
\nI\u2019m\u00a0not\u00a0asking\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0black
\nI\u2019m\u00a0asking\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0loved
\nMy\u00a0skin\u00a0may\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0as\u00a0dark\u00a0as\u00a0yours
\nBut\u00a0I\u00a0still\u00a0be\u00a0queen\u00a0like\u00a0you<\/p>\n

\n
As part of a month-long event co-sponsored by the Smith College Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, “30 Poems in November<\/a>” includes student-penned poems for the purpose of raising money (and awareness) about The Center For New Americans<\/a>.\u00a0This literacy center provide immigrants (as well as refugees) with the resources needed for them to learn how to read in English.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m\u00a0black! …\u00a0your\u00a0skin\u00a0is\u00a0light but\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0black! …\u00a0well\u00a0your\u00a0hair\u00a0is\u00a0too\u00a0curly but\u00a0I\u00a0grew\u00a0up\u00a0around\u00a0all\u00a0black people …\u00a0yeah\u00a0but\u00a0you\u00a0got\u00a0mad Spanish\u00a0cousins and\u00a0y\u2019alls accent\u00a0gets\u00a0too\u00a0thick when\u00a0y\u2019all\u00a0talk\u00a0fast Anyways\u00a0what\u00a0chu know\u00a0about being\u00a0black?\u00a0What chu\u00a0know about\u00a0slavery Your\u00a0people\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0go\u00a0through Jim Crow or\u00a0the\u00a0middle passage Martin\u00a0Luther\u00a0King\u00a0wasn\u2019t your\u00a0king.\u00a0Rosa\u00a0Parks\u00a0did not\u00a0sit\u00a0for\u00a0you. So\u00a0what\u00a0chu\u00a0know\u00a0about being\u00a0black? You\u00a0don\u2019t even\u00a0smoke\u00a0weed! Or\u00a0perm\u00a0your\u00a0hair When\u2019s\u00a0the last\u00a0time\u00a0you\u00a0got\u00a0a\u00a0weave? If\u00a0you\u00a0can\u00a0still\u00a0get\u00a0tan\u00a0in the summer then\u00a0you\u00a0ain\u2019t realllllyyyyy\u00a0black You\u00a0said\u00a0you\u00a0put\u00a0sofrito\u00a0in your\u00a0ramen… Man\u00a0you\u00a0ain\u2019t black! … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":810,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[237,227],"tags":[93,146,230],"coauthors":[309],"class_list":["post-45","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interfaith-matters","category-student-posts","tag-identity","tag-poetry","tag-race-racism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/810"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1519,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions\/1519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}