
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 17, 1993                   TAG: 9309170222
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A POEM TO COMMEMORATE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY SLAVE MEMORIAL WREATH-LAYING AT

No one asked us . . . what we thought of Jamestown . . . in 1619 . . . they didn't even say . . . "Welcome" . . . "You're Home" . . . or even a pitiful . . . "I'm Sorry . . . But We Just Can't Make It . . . Without You" . . . No . . . No one said a word . . . They just snatched our drums . . . separated us by language and gender . . . and put us on blocks . . . where our beauty . . . like our dignity . . . was ignored

No one said a word . . . in 1776 . . . to us about Freedom . . . The rebels wouldn't pretend . . . the British lied . . . We kept to a space . . . where we owned our souls . . . since we understood . . . another century would pass . . . before we owned our bodies . . . But we raised our voices . . . in a mighty cry . . . to the Heavens above . . . for the strength to endure

No one says . . . "What I like about your people" . . . then ticks off the wonder of the wonderful things . . . we've given . . . Our song to God, Our strength to the Earth . . . Our unfailing belief in forgiveness . . . I know what I like about us . . . is that we let no one turn us around . . . not then . . . not now . . . we plant our feet . . . on higher ground . . . I like who we were . . . and who we are . . . and since someone has asked . . . let me say: I am proud to be a Black American . . . I am proud that my people labored honestly . . . with forbearance and dignity . . . I am proud that we believe . . . as no other people do . . . that all are equal in His sight . . . We didn't write a constitution . . . we live one . . . We didn't have to add . . . as an after-thought . . . "Under God" . . . We turn our faces to the rising sun . . . knowing . . . a New Day . . . is always . . . beginning

- Nikki Giovanni

by CNB