Roots
How do you find the square root of...
My white colleagues can find their lineage dating back to their
“I’m so ashamed”
“I can’t believe they did that”
“I’m sorry on their behalf…” slave-owning ancestors all with a Google search
But when I type my last name – Results Not Found
Do you know the process of uprooting plants? Carefully removing them from the soil – being mindful of their roots – then replanting them in a new location with fresh soil
My ancestors were uprooted!
Not mindfully. DAMN SURE NOT CAREFULLY.
Their blood, sweat, & tears became the fertilizer of American soil
Their hopes and dreams soiled
ALL for the sake of a white man’s spoils
They shamed us for having napps kinks and coils
I CAN’T HELP IT MY HAIR GROWS TOWARDS THE SUN
I AM ROYAL
The Crown Act? An example of a history so wack
We had to fight for our own hair to be free!
Our afros represent how the trees grow
Strong tall and a force to be reckoned with
DEEPLY ROOTED even through the wildest of storms
It was embedded in our DNA to be resilient and calm
BUT HOW DO YOU REMAIN CALM WHEN IT FEELS LIKE THEY PULLED THE PURGE
ALARMS
WE’VE BEEN ASKING FOR THE SAME THING DECADE, AFTER DECADE, AFTER DECADE!
THE SAME BLACK CRIES FOR JUSTICE & FREEDOM IN DIFFERENT FONTS
From the broken English poetry of Fredrick Douglas, the peaceful protests dating back to Selma,
to the last breaths of George Floyd
WE ARE THE ONES YOU CANNOT AVOID
Officers who can’t fill their empty voids
Hunt down my people for the sake of their own enjoy!
WE ARE NOT YOUR PRACTICE TARGETS OR TOYS
Our children deserve to live in a state of joy
Discreetly pulling and banning our books from the shelves
Trying to erase the fact that they tried to give us hell
Today and forever, I am lifting the veil
For the ways of the wicked shall not prevail
I will not be stripped from my roots
I AM MY ANCESTORS REINCARNATED
I speak for the ones relearning who they are
Our battle scars do not define who we are
They’re constantly trying to make us forget who we are
I am the messenger here to remind you
The voices of your oppressors do not define you!
WE ARE THE BLACKPRINT
THE CREATORS, THE CURATORS, THE INSPIRATION, THE INNOVATORS
SOUL FOOD THAT’S US!
HIP-HOP THAT’S US!
JAZZ THAT’S US!
CHA-CHA SLIDE THAT’S US!
TWO STEP THAT’S US!
TELEPHONE THAT’S US!
TRAFFIC LIGHT THAT’S US!
HOME SECURITY SYSTEM THAT’S US!
DOWN TO THE PEANUT BUTTER THAT IS US!
There are black roots in everything that we do! It’s time to give flowers when they are due
I will continue to plant the seeds of truth
To feed my people from the labors of all my fruit
So they can be inspired to plant gardens too
For it was always in our nature to come home to our roots
Figure 1. Stylist, photographer, and model, Divinity Nix-Sow, on the set of her Black History Month natural hair shoot.
Figure 2. Models for the Black History Month natural hair photo shoot browse weaves at their neighborhood beauty supply store in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
Figure 3. Models put on earrings at the Black History Month natural hair photo shoot.
Figure 4. Divinity Nix-Sow sprays her hair on set – “I am the messenger here to remind you, the voices of your oppressors do not define you."
Figure 5. "We are the Blackprint – THE CREATORS, THE CURATORS, THE INSPIRATION, THE INNOVATORS."
Figure 6. “Strong, tall and a force to be reckoned with. DEEPLY ROOTED even through the wildest of storms.”
Figure 7. Models represent the joy and beauty of Black hair, as well as the culture and community that can be found in Black hair spaces.
Figure 8. "There are black roots in everything that we do! It’s time to give flowers when they are due."
Figure 9. "I will not be stripped from my roots. I AM MY ANCESTORS REINCARNATED."
Figure 10. "I can't help it my hair grows toward the sun. I AM ROYAL."