Black People Been Free

As I showered in the sunlight
An ancestor came to me
And–as if she knew I was asking–answered
wake up my daughter!
We’ve always been free.

But,
I whispered urgently
barely more than peep
what about the evils of chattel slavery?

Ma Harriet came forward and said,
I was free before I ever left the plantation;
or else I’d never leave.
You get to decide
when you get to be free.
Free yourself first, and you’ll understand
how to bring others with you
to the promised land.

Ma Truth came up and said real direct,
That promise they made to give you freedom;
they’ll never respect.
My daughter wake up!
You get to decide
if you’ll take charge of your inherent freedom
or sit in fear and hide.

But,
pleading a case against myself,
the police and the prisons.
The violence. The guns.
How is any of it possible to outrun?

Sis Toni came up and said,
go talk to my Sis Ang.
These police and prisons
will not stand.
They were never mighty.
They operate out of fear.
And after 400 years of trying to kill us
–their nightmares of freedom–
little sister we are still here!

Sis Sandra came up with the most gentle, sweet smile
Wake up Sis!
Their violence can’t steal our shine.
I never stopped fighting for freedom,
and now freedom is mine.
It wasn’t theirs to give me so they cannot take it away.
Black people been free baby.
Let today be the day.

I searched every corner of my mind
for all the reasons we can’t be free.
And I found it hard to find
a single reason that did not begin with me.

Truth: Power based on fear simply cannot be true
for the minute I’m no longer afraid
such power cannot roost.

Wake up my brothers and sisters!
Sure, we have a legacy of unimaginable pain.
But our legacy of freedom
has never ceded reign.

Before we were gender
We were free.
Before we were light skinned or dark skinned
We were free.
Before we were Christian, muslim, gay or cis
Freedom is who we were and are
We ain’t new to this

Black people been free.
And we will be free
Again!