For Trayvon Martin and All Lynched Black Boys
How do you raise a black child?
Embraced by your womb and your heart
But diminished by the whiteness around you
Priceless angel in your arms
But prison fodder to American justice
A laughing smiling face in your eyes
But a menace in a hoodie in the eyes of the law
How do you raise a black child?
While you searched frantically for your baby
The police let his body languish as a John Doe
We were brought to these shores as disposable people
Shackled and chained
Beaten and tortured
Diminished and dehumanized
They still do not see us as people
But they readily see us as perps
Has our value yet been redeemed?
Have we yet been embraced as Americans?
How do you raise a black child
When society says he has no value
He is no more than a throw away victim of no import
And justice is not for him
And your heart is forever broken
And still you wonder
How do you raise a Black Child
In white America?
