Words that Resonate: Pieces from the Stand Against Racism Youth Rally and Open Mic

At the virtual Stand Against Racism Youth Rally and Open Mic, students from the Mercer County area in grades 7 – 12 recited original pieces as well as classic works from literary figures such as Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde. Others shared personal stories, or simply words of encouragement. Here are some of the pieces that were recited:

We Are The Sea, We Are Still Drowning

By Surayyah Fofana

We are barely surviving the treacherous waters, trying to tread violently but making no progress,
Suddenly
we are submerged deeper in the sea, unable to escape, and expected to just drown.
Then in the
midst of the havoc, our ancestors look to us to persevere and swim upward, they paved the way
while our
oppressors insist that we aren’t even underwater.
That we aren’t
even drowning.
But I sit,
with water filling my lungs near my last breath,
While they
know nothing but fresh air,
unaware of what is like to drown.
Back then,
they Captured us, and told us we were inferior, uncivilized, monkeys
While they
whipped us out of mere pleasure bonding us to shackles referring to us as objects.
Aren’t they
the real animals?
Now they
remind us we are all equal we all receive the same,
While they have all the air,
And we are
still underwater.
Now, our
brothers and fathers can’t even make it home without the fear of drowning,
In fact many
of their bodies lie deep at sea.
Out of reach,
and never had a chance to have clear air.
All of us
were born underwater.
And we are
still there.
But just
when we are close to reaching the surface,
To taking
our first breath of air,
We strain
our voices and say that “we matter”
That we deserve
to breath air
That we deserve
basic human decency and equality
And to no
longer suffer at the hands of the violent riptide
The sickness
that is racism and all bigotry
Says, “we
all deserve to be above water, to not drown”
But we are
the only ones drowning,
Although
barely surviving,
We keep
the ocean waves flowing,
We keep society moving,
We matter
I matter
Black lives matter

#StopAsianHate by Sherry Cola

Recited by Helen Liu

Today I feel grief and rage

Innocent immigrants working minimum wage

Just lost their lives because their skin colours beige.

Let me start from the very first page

I’ve always felt foreign, if I’m being candid

So aware growing up that my eyes were slanted

Kids flipping me off and I didn’t understand it.

The old me use to let the hatred slide

Now I’m filled with Asian pride

I’m so sick of holding the pain inside

What has this world come to? All this talk about kung flu

Now my people are getting killed with guns too?

It breaks my heart that we’re moving in reverse

I remember my mom use to work hard to put me first, with 5 dollars in her purse

It hurts that it could have been her in a hearse.

Asian women, we’re taught to mind our own business. What kind of country is this?

We’re getting murdered by white terrorist with assistance from the fucked up system.

These were daughters, wives, mothers and sisters.

The American dream turned into a nightmare. I’m losing sleep getting white hairs

Is my grandpa going to get assaulted right there?

Let’s face it. We watch the news and energy is just wasted. Four years with a leader who’s xenophobic and racist.

And now we’re back to basics.

I can’t help but shed tears on tears, for years my ancestors proved that we belong here.

2021 we’re still living with these strong fears.

I mean this is bringing us back, to the exclusion act.

These are just the facts. My community is under attack.

So stop ignoring these crimes and playing pretend

And check in on your Asian family and friends.

Let’s have each others backs and put this hate to an end.

A Litany for Survival

By AUDRE LORDE

Recited by Aneeqah Ahmed

For those of us who live at the shoreline

standing upon the constant edges of decision

crucial and alone

for those of us who cannot indulge

the passing dreams of choice

who love in doorways coming and going

in the hours between dawns

looking inward and outward

at once before and after

seeking a now that can breed

futures

like bread in our children’s mouths

so their dreams will not reflect

the death of ours;

For those of us

who were imprinted with fear

like a faint line in the center of our foreheads

learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk

for by this weapon

this illusion of some safety to be found

the heavy-footed hoped to silence us

For all of us

this instant and this triumph

We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid

it might not remain

when the sun sets we are afraid

it might not rise in the morning

when our stomachs are full we are afraid

of indigestion

when our stomachs are empty we are afraid

we may never eat again

when we are loved we are afraid

love will vanish

when we are alone we are afraid

love will never return

and when we speak we are afraid

our words will not be heard

nor welcomed

but when we are silent

we are still afraid

So it is better to speak

remembering

we were never meant to survive.

Gi-Gi Valery

“Good evening, my name is Gi-Gi Valery. I am 12 years old. I am a Junior Activist.

I am very passionate about my desire to make a difference in the lives of young girls in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

I am a 3^rd generation Social Justice Activist. I am following in the footsteps of my mother Tay Walker who is the CEO of the YWCA Princeton whose mission is to eliminate racism and empower women and girls, and my grandmother Jeannie Walker who was a Social Justice Activist in Philadelphia in the mid1980s at the Consumer Education Protection Agency better known as (CEPA).

As a Junior Activist, I am very passionate about encouraging young girls and boys to speak out about the importance of racial justice and equality. As a young black child, I am tired of seeing minority men, women and children being harassed, killed and treated differently by the police simply because of the color of their skin.

Black and brown people are frustrated, angry and hurt by what’s going on in our nation. We are tired of racial profiling…we are tired of being stripped of our rights…many of us fear for our lives…especially minority men and boys…

Sometimes, I am afraid when my 18 year old brother leaves the house, and when my father leaves the house…not knowing if they will return home safely…sometimes, I am afraid of what could happen to them if they get pulled over by the police, or if they are stopped by the police for walking in a neighborhood the police don’t think they should be walking in…

As a Junior Activist, it is my responsibility to stand up for what’s right. As a young person, I want to encourage other young children not to be afraid to stand up for what they believe in…

Last year on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a white male police officer. I am very happy that George Floyd’s family received justice, but it saddens me that less than one year later in the same city, Daunte Wright, was murdered by a white female police officer. The police violence against minority men must stop…

My heart fills with pain every time I see a picture of George Floyd’s daughter, or when I see something about her on TV. I get sad because it reminds me that her story could have been my story, or the story of any black child living in America.

In the Bible it says that we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of the Lord. We are one race… the human race…

I would like to say to our state leaders and to our lawmakers…please listen to the concerns in black and brown communities…if we want things to get better, we all have to be willing to work together to make a change.”