Why I Prefer To Be Black

It seems rather
Clear to me
That African Americans
Remain in the vanguard
Of the ongoing
American Revolution
And that is why
I am happy
To live among them
To be an integral
Part of the daily
Matrix of
What it is
That is happening now
And of
What it is
That is going to be
Whether we are talking
About
Music
Art
Cinema
Literature
Acting
Dance
Symphonic Music
Blues
Gospel
Jazz
Rock n roll
Golf
Tennis
Football
Basketball
Chess and
Checkers
Dominos
Cuisine
Barbeque
Cook outs
Picnics
Family get-togethers
Neighborhood improvements
Resorts
Hotel management
Business
Politics
Rapping
Singing
Surviving incarceration
Surviving Police harassment
Surviving slavery
Civil War
Poor living conditions
Fast food eateries
Liquor stores
Targeted Cigarette advertising campaigns
General lack of health resources
Drugs of every description and kind
Marijuana
Heroin
Crack cocaine
Methamphetamine
Goof balls
Speed balls
prescription drug abuse
Deteriorating inner city schools
Last hired
First fired
Foster care
Court supervision
Probation
The death penalty
Life sentences
Rigged juries
Voting rights suppression
Denial of civil rights
Jim Crow
Sheriff Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor
Mississippi Red Necks
Night riders
The Ku Klux Klan
Fire hoses
Baton sticks
Cattle prods
Lynchings
Burnings
Lootings
Assassinations
You name it
And to still be able
To sing about
Love
To preach about
Love
To practice
Unconditional love
And to still be able
To believe in
The American dream
In the possibility of
A better future for all
Despite opposition
Manifest oppression
Baseless hatred
Racial discrimination
Racial profiling
Redlining
Denial of capital
Having doors slammed
In your face
Opportunities denied
And being subjected
To every conceivable
Kind of insult
Taunt
Liable
And
Epithet
That hateful
Men and women
Can conjure up
Speaks volumes to me
About
Sheer guts
Honor
Determination
Survival
Character
Courage
And the ability
To overcome
Seemingly
Insurmountable odds

And that is why
I prefer to be black
To remain
In the vanguard
Of the American Revolution
To be counted
Among the rank and file
If I am not privileged to be
The drum major
But still
I remain ever ready
To pick up the
Freedom Flag
The banner
The baton
If those in front
Who are leading
The grand parade
Should ever
Happen to
Stumble or fall

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2011