We Hold These Truths. Poem by duke perry abrokwa

Thomas Jefferson wrote,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal."
(True—
but not for the Black man.)

"That they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
among these are Life…"
(True—
but not for George Floyd,
not for Kevin Matthews, Roy Nelson,
Jamar Clark, Tiara Thomas—
the list stretches on, unbroken.)

"…Liberty…"
(Not for the Black, still bound—
slaves in masks,
chained to a system without iron links.)

"…and the pursuit of Happiness."
(We chase it,
but Happiness
sprints too fast for Black lives.)


---

The white man: innocent until proven guilty.
The Black man: guilty,
praying no bullet finds his head
before innocence is proven.

Blacks don't check the race box on job applications—
We're labeled "lazy"
before the interview begins.

They call high-paying jobs "white-collar."
Sophisticated crimes? "White-collar crimes."
As if Black minds can't master such.
Instead, they brand us with
gang violence, rape, armed robbery—
"Black-related crimes."
SHAME.


---

In America, cops shield citizens
from crime
more than they do Black lives.
(Let that sink in.)

No other race can fathom
what it means to be Black—
prejudged
before a word escapes your lips.

We teach our children:
Your skin marks you different.
Walk on eggshells.
If pulled over,
say your prayers,
keep hands in sight,
or pray it's not your last breath.

We teach them how their rich melanin
brands them a threat to society.


---

It's 2020, and still we must recount:
How African royals were handpicked,
turned to slaves,
chained, starved,
shipped to the West.

How 400 years ago,
slavery rewrote history.
How Black hands laid America's railroads.
How plantations fed on Black sweat
for a single day's scraps.
How our mothers were violated
as guns held our fathers still.
How our children are "lucky"
second-class citizens
in the only nation they've ever called home.


---

It's 2025, and Black lives
are still dehumanized.
Classrooms bury our truth beneath lies.

Do you know?
Civilization was born in Africa.
The first to read and write? Africans.
Christianity took root in Africa
before colonization's claws.
The first mathematical tool? Found in Africa.
The richest man in history?
Not Rockefeller—Mansa Musa, from Africa.
The richest continent? Africa.

And we—
we are humans,
as brilliant,
as creative,
as any race.
The average African speaks three languages.
FACT.


---

When I shout "Black Lives Matter, "
I don't say all lives don't.
I say, as a Black man—
my life matters too.