I woke up today, this July 4th, 2012 thankful to wake up in my right mind with all my faculties and grateful to have the day off from work (Holiday - in honor of July 4th - Independence Day for the United States). However, when I thought about the history of this country; to me - it is really mockery for Black and indigenous folks to actually "celebrate" the origin and significance of this day. In 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, Europeans were decimating the indigenous population in astronomical numbers; the atrocious enslavement of Blacks was in full effect in America - so there was NO independence for indigenous and Black folks at that time and the ramifications of that history are still being played out today. Today is a day for me to reflect, and work on my varied projects to make a difference in this world - so my grandchildren and yours can have a better quality of life standing on the shoulders of the generation before them- US. So in your travels today, reflect on the suffering our ancestors endured and the sacrifices they made so that we would see a better tomorrow.
Who Am I?
Copyright © 2010 by Helen Tinsley
I am mother earth,
...the source of powerful civilizations that erupted on the rich, fertile banks of the Nile River,
...the nurturer of strong, mighty brothers and sisters who spread across the motherland and built powerful cities in Mali, Songhai and Timbuktu,
...the spirit of my people whose bones lie deep in the bowels of the Atlantic Ocean who perished during the treacherous Middle Passage,
...the voice of my ancestors, who suffered, fought and died trying to be free in a land of injustices and inhuman treatment,
...the wet-nurse whose milk nourished my masters’ babies (before my own) and then had to serve that baby as it’s’ master,
...the sister who worked in the heat of the tobacco and cotton fields, heavy with child, then brought forth life from my womb, and with my precious newborn strapped on my back, continued to slave for the master,
...the day worker who scrubbed and cleaned in the white man’s house in order to bring home food for my own hungry children,
...the tears that flowed when my man was forcibly separated from me – starting the beginning of the “broken home syndrome” now plaguing our communities in astronomical numbers,
...the welfare statistic who faces such despair and frustration that I see no way out of this dependent condition,
...the confused teenager who gives birth in my youth trying to make my man/child happy and is left with a baby and no man,
...the crack addict hustling in the streets for enough cash to get high from a drug that is systematically designed to further the genocide of my people,
...the college student seeking an education that I think will enable me to really be free,
...the grandmother, mother, daughter who support and nurture each other in a 3 generation circle of love, warmth and respect,
...the spirit of the Creator whose power has enabled my people to overcome incomprehensible odds,
...the pain, the hurt, the frustration, the despair, the courage – that has affected my people for over 400 years in America, the so-called land of the brave, home of the free,
...the product of an America, founded on cruel and unusual punishment, biased laws and savage practices who never thought her slaves would survive and be a people to be reckoned with,
...I AM THE BLACK WOMAN AND YES I SURVIVED!
i too am american
copyright ©2012 Helen Tinsley
i arise with the dawn
beams of sunlight awaken the melanin
flowing thru my body temple.
as the scent of night lingers in the air
& i inhale the spirit of my fearless ancestors
those called Iroquois, Cherokee, Chippewa, Apache
the original caretakers of this land of the brave,
home of the so-called free.
those folks who loved one another,
revered the earth,
used only what they needed
& had no concept of land ownership.
fueled with this legacy my journey continues…
i exhale the fire that first lovingly cooked food
& warmed my kin b4 invaders conquered their/our land
our mother – our earth - our world;
to the fire that roared on the trail of tears,
that couldn’t be extinguished at wounded knee
and still smolders in americanized concentration camps
& experimentation zones
known today as reservations, projects
& government housing.
so we go thru life confused,
knowing something just ain’t right.
but there are no quick fixes
in happy meal boxes, or government cheese
& no answers can be bought with ebt cards
the fire continues to smolder internally
the fire that drives our pressure up,
that tempts us to turn the bottle up,
that too often results in flare ups.
the fire that will burn & destroy
until the energy is refocused.
burn up the myths & lies
that still continue to be taught & believed.
burn up the destructive ways that hold us back
& perpetuate the diabolical plan.
burn up the low expectations, negative prophecies
& cyclical distractions.
ignite a movement for change ―
one that creates an innovative marriage
between our reverence for earth & green technology
a process that utilizes our generational knowledge
of living with nature
to businesses in energy conservation,
enhanced farming and utilization of solar power.
beam up on energy to pave a new path
so today’s children can live & see a better tomorrow
light up on life & the power of God burning within
will burst forth with a brilliance
that radiates across the land
& burns the weeds that try to overtake our growth.
let us cast our reddened hue
on these purple mountains & forgotten plains
as we shout from the hills of mount rushmore
& our voices echo
from the expanse of the golden gate
to the top of the george washington bridge
we will not be moved!
Published in: and the beat goes on - poems, thoughts and snippets along the journey
by Helen Tinsley
In fact, Frederick Douglas gave a historic speed on the topic : The meaning of July 4th for the Negro." The full speech is available at: "http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/douglassjuly4.html
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