I Am a Black
Kojo
According to my Teachers, I am now an African-American.
They call me out of my name.
BLACK is an open umbrella. I am a Black and A Black forever.
I am one of The Blacks.
We are Here, we are There. We occur in Brazil, in Nigeria, Ghana, in Botswana, Tanzania, in Kenya, in Russia, Australia, in Haiti, Soweto, in Grenada, in Cuba, in Panama, Libya, in England and Italy, France.
We are graces in any places. I am Black and A Black forever.
I am other than Hyphenation.
I say, proudly, MY PEOPLE! I say, proudly, OUR PEOPLE!
Our People do not disdain to eat yams or melons or grits or to put peanut butter in stew.
I am Kojo. In West Afrika Kojo means Unconquerable. My parents named me the seventh day from my birth in Black spirit, Black faith, Black communion. I am Kojo. I am A Black.
And I Capitalize my name.
Do not call me out of my name.
By Gwendolyn Brooks pg. 288-89
In the Anthology - African American Poetry - 250 Years of Struggle and Song edited by Kevin Young
Invitation: “… I am a ...”
More about Gwendolyn Brooks - HERE
Read About Gwendolyn Brooks: A Chicago Legacy
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"Do not call me out of my name," declares Gwendolyn Brooks. She is clear, I am a Black, I am Black. Naming is power. As is the agency of self-determination which is a foundational principle in human rights. At the intersection of Black History Month and the massive attempts of erasure of LGBTQ+ people by this new US Administration, and most specifically trans people, Gwendolyn Brooks offers a way forward in the claiming and reclaiming of names.