Black by Birth

Black by birth
Born into the hurt
So deeply ingrained
It is taking decades
to design a pipeline
To success that doesn’t need
To be re-laid every generation

The great Dr. King
Was a key to our wings
Though clipped and shunted
Through legislative undercurrents
And implicit bias
And broken justice
We still find strength
To fly

No need to rebuild
Or recreate the wheel
The keys are laid just out of reach
Our cage created with centuries
Of hate disguised as the behavior
Of a savior with a smile
and perfect white teeth

-Omari Akil

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