While doing research to gather recordings from poets protesting the New Arizona immigration law, this scenario kept on twirling in my head. So I had to write down. Here it is.
Brothers
The mirror
of your sunglasses
reflects
a picture
of me.
It does not
match
what I see
every morning
when I brush
my teeth.
As you look
at me,
I stare back
and see
what you see.
You see
someone who is
not
like
you.
You see
a thief
of the life
you think
you own.
Yet
I share
more
with you
than
you wish
to see,
Officer Sanchez
Governor Jan Brewer did it again. This time she removed any possibility that her intent was anything but politically and racially motivated. Yesterday, she signed a bill targeting a school district's ethnic studies program, hours after a report by United Nations human rights experts condemned the measure. The measure prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group. The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group.
While thinking about the incredible people who listen to and support this show, the following words came to me. Because you live in the light, you can shine into dark places. Because your heart feels deeply, you can hear and speak of heavy things. Because your mind is open, you can free those whose minds are caged. Because your spirit is free, you can unshackle the spirits of the oppressed.