Is Our Philadelphia Really OUR Philadelphia
Laila Johnson
North, South, East, West
We are all from Philly
But we try to see who’s got it the best
What y’all don’t understand
Is that we all are oppressed
And that none of us will ever have the upper hand
If we don’t come together as a band
People have come up to me and uttered the heartbreaking words that I quote
“Nobody expects me to be smart, so why try”
And I cry
Really, the only time Black Lives Matter to America is for a mere
Electoral vote.
People went from clutching their pearls
To clutching their purses when we walk by
Following us in coffee shops
Just to let their fears and doubts pacify
With the future upon us, I look to the news
But nobody ever seems to capture my point of views
We look to the Liberty Bell,
The Rocky Steps too
But the streets needing care are left alone to pull through?
Eight out of Ten suspects are black
The City of Brotherly Love seems to lack the ladder
We disregard the truth of the matter
Pay Attention.
The changes made during my time, our time
They may be evident.
But it will take time to get past the parts visibly
Irrelevant
We can't allow the injustices we face to subside
Because the next generation needs to process
What we mean when we proudly exclaim:
“Black Pride”