There is a leitmotif
Of arrogance and ignorance
In your honest friendly nature
You want to erase all sense
Of impropriety and savage conduct
by giving me new appellations
I used to be known as a negro
Or Black
or colored even
for those who wanted to
Capture the varying shades
Of my beautiful existence
But they made it hell
Picked on, slaved, beaten
Raped, murdered and sold
all because they could.
All this while they were saving my soul
With their own god and ways
I didn't mind
I came to this big country
Which I first landed on
with fettered feet
But when I sang
God listened
When I walked
Breeze was born
And when I ran
Deer looked at me with awe
I was a specimen like no other
In chains when no one else was
I was black and that was that
That was a long time ago
And today I am as much a part
Of this land as any other
The bones of my great ancestors
Is in this earth
Rivers here I have bathed in
Fields tilled and fish caught
animals reared and slaughtered
Married and children begot
Then some kind souls want to
Wash away old sins of others
Make me want to forget the torments
Linked with my black negro being
Decide to call me African American
I am at once proud of my proud lineage
My people, Africa and a smile
Till I think about it.
Is my being American
not halved by being called thus
Is this any way to address people
Most who have never been to Africa
Chinese Amercian, Asian American,
Japanese American, Indian, Pakistani,
What lies behind these names?
Are citizens of Indian, Pakistani and Latino
race not American?
Why is a person Chinese American yet another African American? Does it
matter if Chinese are confused with Korean American, Hmong and
Vietnamese or Filipino...
But more than anything else
Why don't we have Irish Americans,
Italian Americans, German Americans,
French Americans, Polish Americans
Czech Americans and of course English Americans
They are all simply described as white
Or even more simply as Americans.
So I would rather be called a black American.
Or just an American
I am from here and nowhere else
I am not going to be caught up in platitudes
created by weak or evil minds
So I have decided that I will write my name
And my colour is for all to see
Don't nigger me for I am Black
And the world is happily black brown yellow red and white
And all shades in between.
