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AS IS THE SUN SO ARE WE…
Uprooted from the richness
Of the nourishing soils
Of Mother Africa,
Chained and replanted as if
A forest of shackled
Enslaved trees of people,
The American branches
Of our black trees of life
Have—over millennials—
Overcome, survived,
And flourished during
The treacherous seasons
Of collateral damage this land’s
Racist, politico-economic-social
And cultural weathering
Of human deforestation
Has rained upon them:-
Yes, over centuries of slavery
Post emancipation Jim Crow
Segregation, denial of voter rights,
And racist murders, our hued
Our American branches,
Nourished by their African roots,
Have survived;
Bloomed flowers of hope,
And produced seeded fruits
Of divine liberation;
And today, our Black Forest
Continues to grow and harvest:
Seeds are still sowed;
Stems are still growing;
Saplings are still reaching the sky;
And sages still remain standing by:-
With our American branches,
Nourished by our African roots
And with the graces of God,
We’re still here…Rising!
