History
But whose are we talking about?
Because for some reason I don’t see my story.
I’m not seeing people that look like me
Whose history is this
How can this be?
I ask the child do you know this figure?
We’re out on his birthday
What else should I remember?
What else should you remember, I don’t understand the question
Read your history books
Pay attention.
I read my history books, but all they say
Is Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln
Paved the way.
Are those the only stories they tell?
You’ve got to be kidding me
I know more and I know them well.
There were slaves brought to this land
They built the foundations
Where we now stand.
And activists fighting for the rights
Of women and men
Black, Asian, and white.
Everyone has a history here
In this American melting pot
That we hold dear
Research the stories
Even if they aren’t taught
Find out more about those who have fought
For the right to read and write
For the right to vote
For the rights of us all to sit in the same room and take the same notes
America the melting pot
With a history so vast
Don’t try to escape, rather learn from the past.