Until We Meet Again

I wrote this poem the week of April 20 for my ‘Literature of Revolution’ class with Professor Matthew Heitzman. I wrote it after watching a TikTok with two white teenagers making fun of black people and saying the N word with the hard ‘r.’ I wrote it before I had heard about Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and many others that have lost their lives for being black in this country during this time.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

I had no idea that I would be meeting with my people’s liberation again, so soon. And it goes to show the cycle that we’re in: that my black brothers and sisters are so tired of having to battle for their rights and be fearful for their lives daily. Can you imagine what it’s like being a minority at a predominantly white institution? Take a moment and think about what we might have to go through, not always seeing someone like us teaching us, not being able to stay at this university because of how much it costs, having to band together and make our administration understand our place in this movement. We have to look at ourselves, look at our black students coming into this new class, the ones that have graduated, those that are still here, and think, ‘How can we support them thoroughly through this devastating time?’ Acknowledge our pain, hear us, see us, and educate yourself. That’s why we’re studying so hard and paying to be here, right? To make a difference in this world? Do your part. #BlackLivesMatter