the talk

[tulsakatz]

this was in the Washington Post today...


‘The Talk,’ a poem inspired by Ferguson, Mo.

By Jabari Asim August 15 at 2:22 PMJabari Asim is executive editor of the Crisis magazine, published by the NAACP. He was a Washington Post Book World editor from 1996 to 2007.

It’s more than time we had that talk

about what to say and where to walk,

how to act and how to strive,

how to be upright and stay alive.

How to live and how to learn,

how to dig and be dug in return.

When to concede and when to risk,

how to handle stop and frisk:

Keep your hands where they can see

and don’t reach for your ID

until they request it quite clearly.

Speak politely and answer sincerely.

The law varies according to where you are,

whether you’re traveling by foot or driving a car.

It won’t help to be black and proud,

nor will you be safer in a crowd.

Keeping your speech calm and restrained,

ask if, in fact, you’re being detained.

If the answer is no, you’re free to go.

If the answer is yes, remained unfazed

to avoid being choked, shot or tased.

Give every cop your ear, but none your wit;

don’t tempt him to fold, spindle, mutilate, hit

or otherwise cause pain

to tendons, bones, muscles, brain.

These are things you need to know

if you want to safely come and go.

But still there is no guarantee

that you will make it home to me.

Despite all our care and labor,

you might frighten a cop or a neighbor

whose gun sends you to eternal sleep,

proving life’s unfair and talk is cheap.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-talk-a-poem-inspired-by-ferguson-mo/2014/08/15/aa367992-23f0-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html?wpisrc=nl-popns&wpmm=1

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. powerful.

That is poetry right there.

Thanks.

[tulsakatz]

2. you're welcome....

I thought it was good....plus it's also very sad that any family in america has to talk to their kid about such things!!

[tblue37]

3. There was a time when every black citizen had to keep his/her eyes down, speak respectfully

(Yes, sir; No ma'am) to any white person of any age, step off the sidewalk if a white person was approaching, and other such indignities based on the idea that they were inferior and should be subservient.

It seems that the cops never got the memo that such a**-kissing is no longer supposed to be required of people simply because they have darker skin.

[ReRe]

4. K&R

Thanks for posting this on DU. A reminder that indeed we do not live in a "colorblind" society. Please: everyone be safe, whoever you are, wherever you are.
Keep in mind that this appears to be turning into an actual Police State.

[calimary]

5. Good post, ReRe!

TRUE. And we NEED that reminder that indeed we DO NOT live in a "colorblind" society. The Supreme Court doesn't see that there's any problem here anymore so let's gut whatever protections ARE necessary.

Somebody else posted here something to the effect of "I'm sorry I ever thought we'd actually gotten beyond this..." and MAN is that ever spot-on. Such a shame. Just makes me shake my head sometimes.

And tulsakatz, thanks for posting this thread. "The Talk." Devastating. Just hurts your heart.

[tulsakatz]

9. you're welcome calimary...

the supreme court is another issue entirely! Sometimes I don't even think they qualify as people!! They have no compassion for what ordinary people struggle with (not all of the Supreme Court but enough that seem to count)!

[JustAnotherGen]

6. Thank you

[tulsakatz]

8. you're welcome....

I thought it was important enough that other people should read it.

It is so ironic that we are supposed to live in a free society but the truth is, it's not really that 'free' at all!! Especially if your skin is the wrong color!

[littlemissmartypants]

7. Beautiful. I believe that art can save the world.

But it makes me sad for the children. The more things change the more they stay the same. Same sh* t different century. We are not free.

~Lmsp