The Trayvon Martin case (and the reactions from the world) hits London, as Dean Atta released a poem giving his take on not only Trayvon, but also the bigger picture for Blacks in general (lyrics below).
Black Britain and Black America
These so-called chips on our shoulder
Are the building-blocks of equality
I do not need permission to recall my historyBlack Britain and America are not the same
But we see you
And we feel your painI Am Trayvon Martin
For our races and birthplaces
We are not to blameI stare into this shattered mirror
A society that reflects our own
Black America, you are not aloneOur paths are not parallel
But our struggles need not be separate
If we teach our children to never forgetThat before any wars on terror
There were wars on our humanity
Labelling us less than we were born to beEqual
Though most days it feels we are guilty
Until proven innocent
Failures until we achieve something excellentBut it’s also our right not to excel
To live normal decent lives
And not fear bullets and jailNot have to justify our existence or presence
In countries built on our backs with no thanks or penance
It’s not just the taxis and black cabs not stopping for us
It’s the police and civilians targeting usIt’s losing out to the white candidate
Despite the same qualifications
Or getting the job
And people calling it positive discriminationYes, I’ve got a big black chip on my shoulder
And this pink one too
LGBT and feminist, I will stand by youAmerica, I have only stood on your soil once
And I don’t understand all of your laws
But yours is a struggle I cannot ignoreThere are many more struggles that need to unite too
Native Americans and Australians, I see you
In this black mirror made of more than glassBut they say, “It’s not about race now
It’s only about class.”
