There is a special burden that goes with being "the first", or "the only", or "one of the few" black faces in a workplace, school or professional situation. Jackie Robinson was neither the first nor the last to bear this load. The Seven Foot Poet speaks to those who bear this load.
I HATE BEING JACKIE ROBINSON
(Dedicated to the brothers and sisters competing in America’s rat race.)
Click the flash player below to hear the Seven Foot Poet perform this original work.
{mp3}poetry/090_7ft_jackie-robinson{/mp3}
I Hate Being Jackie Robinson
Being the only one
Being the first one.
You look at me with envy.
I look in the mirror and shun.
Monday thru Friday
Though no one yells slurs
Or
Explicitly threatens to terminate my existence on this earth
It hurts being Jackie Robinson.
Make no mistake
Even if my teammates are great
Championship caliber
They still can’t really relate
To my fate.
I hate being Jackie Robinson.
Material goods badly compensate
For torment endured
By me the lonely baobab tree
In a forest of timber wood and evergreens.
Being Jackie Robinson is no fun.
And I ain’t even half of him.
So don’t congratulate me on how well I’ve done
Because over the cheers of the fans – I hear my soul booing.
I hate being Jackie Robinson.
By Kemit Mawakana (aka The Seven-Foot Poet)
Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)
Copyright 2008.
Kemet Mawakana (aka “The Seven-Foot Poet”) is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul. The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and “For The People”. Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet@gmail.com.
Oppression of Haitians in the Dominican Republic intensifies, as deportations and discrimination against Dominicans of Haitian descent continues. The Socialist Workers Movement of the Dominican…
In this segment we will learn about the scarcity of affordable housing in New York City and why this public need is not being met. We will also hear about how voting rights for formerly convicted…
Leah Goodridge is an attorney, housing advocate, and member of the New York City Planning Commission. She is a former member of the Rent Guidelines Board which sets the rents for regulated apartments…
Patrick Berry is a counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, where he focuses on voting rights restoration and promoting fair, diverse, and impartial courts. He joins us from New York to…
As the midterm election approached, the charge of Russian election interference re-emerged. Margaret Kimberley discussed that and election predictions with Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon on their…
