Winning Words: Dear White People

The ArtsEtc NIFCA Winning Words Anthology: 2019/2020, Cover.

 

 

Dear white people… 
I’m not here to fight, I’m not here to bargain, I’m not here to scream. 
You’re here to listen. 
The place you call home, The Land of the Free. Was constructed by People of Colour.
Mechanized by your predecessors and ancestors who used genocide, violence 
    and slavery as fuel.
Undisputable.  Undeniable.  Unforgivable. 

Dear white people…
Muted, afraid to lose your silver spoons,
Afraid to lose the hand that has fed you for centuries.
As you continue with your days by the lakes and rivers.
May they never run RED. 
May those rose-tinted cheeks never turn BLUE. 
May your never burn alive.

Dear white people…
To those who ally. Who unite.
Who stand. Who speak. 
Who attempt to get it, even though they will never really and truly get it.
Who mourn us. Who cry
Who Fight. 
Tomorrow... 
We go again.  

Anderson Devonish is a track athlete and a graduate in English from Illinois State University. He is an avid gamer with a love for communication, language, and football, and is a lifelong Liverpool FC supporter.