The theme of this year’s Afrik Impact celebration is Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges. To put that slogan into meaningful action, the African Leadership Group identified members of several communities – Jewish, Native Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Caucasian, African and others – to work together on a Unity Poem project intended to bring all people together.
At the Afrik Impact Community Cultural Day August 5, the authors recited the Unity Poem before an audience at The Arvada Center. They will recite it again at the 8th Annual Afrik Impact Gala on Saturday August 26 at The Denver Botanic Gardens. You can purchase tickets here.
Below is a video of that moment, as well as the full text of the poem. Enjoy!
The Unity Poem
Our History did not begin in chains
I am African rhythms thumping in a breakdance
battle in Brooklyn
We’re Foundational Black Americans: Born in
the basement of the American dream
A lynch rope for an umbilical chord,
Attached to a motherland we’ve long forgotten
The trauma of my ancestors is imbedded in my DNA.
Our Ancestors spirits carry us and our bones are made of stardust
Surviving the whips, chains, and segregation
Forced to build families and this nation without Reparations!
So, we sang, Our story, wild as a swing dance
to Louisiana Jazz.
The sweat of our brows paved the ground of the Red, White and Blue.
A star noose that choked the life out of my ancestors
And, still we rise!
the Blood and Bones I carry are rich and yet they are seen as opposite
I am the People who have been feared, hated, misunderstood, and revered
I am the unstoppable, indestructible human expression of Love and Resilience
I am unapologetically Black in all shades and rhythms
I am the bridge between yesterday’s sorrows And a child’s hope for tomorrow.
We are the immigrants from the home of all humanity!
Once, a continent with no barriers and borders
Is still a cradle of hope for all!
A land, so often spoken of, but seldom actually listened to!
We are Africa!
Six letters that speak to the diversity of its many nations
How can you minimize such grandeur to simplistic words, depictions, otherings?
North, South, Central, East, West.
The beauty of the high peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro.
To the rolling hills in Cape Town
The waters of the Niger
And the vast of the Sahara Desert
This poem is yesterday & tomorrow celebrating the past, present and future – our ancestors –
This poem is for the weak and strong. It will tell of history
I am the bridge
To a world where the weak coexist with the strong
Until we find a world where we all can belong.
And speaking of belonging, us Latinos know about how borders can divide
Many have tried to put us down by saying we are unworthy of being here, but what would this country be without us?
A mother earth with an empty womb
They want us in the shadows, forgotten in history’s tomb.
But, I am that eagle crossing the bo in rderless sky, I am that mestizo
I am not from here or there,
No soy de aqui ni soy de aya
“I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees” My dream is for unity, justice, and peace, Amongst all nations, cultures, and creeds,
My Jewish faith is about creating a world where we can all breathe in peace
Always with an eye, heart and mind on God’s work, the Torah –
And, the other eye on persecution.
Wary, careful, always looking over our shoulders
“Are we safe here, and for how long?”
Fitting in American society, but then also not.
Assimilating only as far as society will allow
In the words of the ethics of our fathers, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
But, if I am only for myself, who am I?
And If not now, when?”
We are European America
We walk in the room white with a lower-case w and a knapsack filled with privilege
By our bootstraps we capitalized
We colonized, consumed and exploited people and Earth
We called it “Freedom”
This is the barrier we will break
The bridge we will build is made of recognition and restoration
Recognition of real justice and universal humanity
Restoration of a shared vision for a common destiny
The bridge has planks of empathy and action
Empathy that binds us to each other’s lives and stories
Action that amplifies the quietest of voices and creates new histories
Understanding where we are so we can see what’s ahead
Dismantling the systems that oppress and cause dread.
Because we are here to live courageously, and creatively
We are Asian-Americans.
Our hair is as black as ink, with eyes like coal, and everything looks light around us
We are small in stature, with hearts the size of giants
Breaking stereotypes of the “Model Minority” While building a future for our families.
Discipline, hard work, and respect are hallmarks in the Asian communities
Virtues we share with the best of Humanity.
“Okage Sama De”
What I am today, is because of you:
And, what we are today is on indigenous land
The Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe still sing on the wind
Can you hear them? Among the roar of the traffic.
There’s a sound that captivates our ears.
Under the grass, beneath the soil. You have to get close.
They’re Drums. Low and forceful.
Like Mother’s heartbeat. Steady, persistent.
She calls to her children… “Remember who you are.
Your umbilical cord is your connection to the universe,
the sun, the stars, the water, the land your people have walked since time immemorial.”
We are humanity
Brothers and Sister separated by water and distance
Here we have found each other.
Our fear set aside for friendship Please remember we’re family. Today is a new day to stand together.
FB -Foot to foot, Shoulder to Shoulder EU In beautiful colors and shades.
We are the indestructible woven thread.
We are the bridge to the world…of tomorrow!!
