More Than A Hashtag
By GD
Black Lives Matter is more than a hashtag…
More than a movement. More than a conversation…
We are not to be complacent with the systematic racism and
Social injustice in this nation…
We’ve been subjected to slavery, segration, inequality
Dehumanization and separation…
Yet we demonstrated patience and focused on raising the
Generation that will create change!
However, by police we’re still slain
Our pain? Can no longer be ignored…
No longer can we afford to be oppressed, suppressed and
Depressed by a system that was structured to rupture the
Lives of people of color…
Now is time for us activists to be as active as a hyper kid
Who has too much sugar…
We must not stand by, but STAND UP! Or take a knee…
Whatever your preference might be…Just let it…BE!
Seen…Heard…Felt…Tasted and Smelled
Use all five senses plus common sense. Since the senseless
Killing of innocent blacks ain’t worth a dollar and five cents!
Poverty stricken…can’t make rent…damn shame!
We’ve always been a pawn in the political chess game…
This is still post slavery America, which means that
Reconstruction was constructed to recap destruction among us…
Jim Crow and the New Deal all feels the same to me…
It’s plain to see that the political parties dances to the
Beat of their own drum for far too long…
In order for our nation to change, we need legislation to change…
Replacing the racists who’ve been perpetuating divisiveness and hatred
Congressmen and senators are akin to a gang with multiple leaders
And we need change from the inside-out and one who righteous
To lead us, not tweet at!
Black Lives Matter is more than a hashtag
More than a trend
This is where our voices and actions mend!
Breonna Taylor’s and George Floyd’s deaths were symbolic
And tells the story of our history that’s still true…
And that is if you get too comfortable and sleep on your
Surroundings, they will kill you!
George’s last breath lasted 8 min, 46 seconds and connects
To the knee of racial oppression that’s been on our neck
Jacob Blake’s fate resonates with the mistake to underestimate
Their disregard for black faces…
These Black Lives Mattered! You can’t hashtag that!
17 Comments
Leave a Comment
The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Hi, I am Francisco Salinas, and I am in a class that engages with communities. Upon initially viewing your poem, I was genuinely amazed about the flow of the poem. I generated a smooth voice that moved with the assonance—the matching rhyming scheme in the middle of the words. The “A” sound in complacent, racism, segregation, slain, change was energetically soothing, filling, but it still displayed characteristics of anger and sadness. The “uh” sound in structure, rupture, and color indubitably shows talent. It is something I have yet to see in other poems. I could feel the frustration displayed by it as well. It felt as if I was listening to a nostalgic song, and I say this because many lines such as “reconstruction was constructed to recap destruction among us” and “Jacob Blake’s fate resonates with the mistake to underestimate / Their disregard for black faces,” is better than the music I listen to today. And this is coming from a poem. If I could say one more thing, it would be to continue writing and let your feelings guide your pen. Those feelings will help you connect to people like me.
GD, I love the raw emotion you write with here. I think that today, many white people use social media and the hashtag “BLM” to speak on behalf on black people. I think that it is important for white people to silence themselves and truly listen to what people of color have to say.
Hi GD,
I am HERE for this. We DESPERATELY need to change this country drastically. I can feel the urgency in this piece. It echoes how dire conditions are in the US. This country is exploiting its own people and “social media activism” was never enough to make a real difference. Black Lives Matter isn’t a trend, it’s life or death. Thank you for writing and sharing this incredibly moving poem.
This is a very powerful poem and has such a string message that I feel many people can forget about. There is so much emotion that you can feel it very strongly while reading it. I was moved and was emotional because of the strong words used.
Very powerful! I agree that change starts on the individual level
GD,
Wow, what a beautiful and thought provoking poem you have written! Your writing conveys so many powerful emotions, including righteous anger against injustice, sadness for those we mourn, and pride in the strength that we have shown and will continue to use in our fight for justice. As a Black person, I felt all of these emotions while reading your work.
As you addressed, this fight is far from over, as each generation comes with new challenges. With this, I like that you mentioned focusing on raising the next generation that will create more change. It is very inspiring and empowering to see what my generation (Gen Z) has accomplished and brings us confidence in what future generations can achieve — hopefully, though, they will not have to fight for their rights. Additionally, I found this line stating, “Reconstruction was constructed to recap destruction among us…” to be very thought provoking. I believe that this struck me because of how you were able to discuss how the system was created against Black people in such a powerful way.
I enjoyed your use of rhyme and found your poem’s meter to be very interesting. With this, the flow of your piece allowed for a unique reading experience. This experience was also influenced greatly by the beautiful and powerful imagery that was conveyed through your words. All of these elements were combined skillfully to form an impressive work.
Again, I want to express how incredible your poem is and how much I enjoyed it. This piece clearly shows how skilled you are at fostering empowerment and emotion through writing. Voices like yours are so needed today so I hope you continue to spread your poetry.
Thank you for sharing,
Layla
GD,
This was a very powerful poem. I appreciate the incorporation of multiple social justice topics. Stating that Black Lives Matter is more than a hashtag is a meaningful phrase. While it can be helpful to bring awareness to social injustice, we must take action as well. The details you include regarding George Floyd was a powerful part of this narrative. Addressing racism and injustice in America needs to take place by our leaders. You do a great job at highlighting some of the issues within our political system and how we address racial injustice. This poem is a powerful reminder that Black Lives Matter is a call for action and activism, not just a phrase that we post on social media.
I fully enjoyed reading this poem. It was important, raw, honest, and had a rhythm that pulled me into your poem that managed to summarize the history of racism in America very well for such a brief work. It was gut wrenching to read, but an absolute pleasure nonetheless. Thank you, GD.
Hi GD,
Your poem was very well said! I agree we are more than a hashtag. People will share a hashtag and believe that they did something and that it will create change. While it does bring awareness to the situation, it as well needs to bring change. You wrote about how we have been patient and focus on newer generations to create change. I resonated with that because though we are treated with force and cruelty, we still demonstrate that we want peace and to be united. Understanding what we are fighting for and why we are fighting for it is the first step. You mentioned that our nation’s legislature needs change and I agree. Creatively you referenced congressmen and senators to a gang that has leaders. I never thought of it in that way and I feel that was nicely said. We can not get change from a system that has always been set up against us. Keep standing up and speaking out. You touched a part of my being that I needed to be touched and better understood. I hope that this poem reaches many more and that it resonates with them.
– McKenzie
This was really well written! You really got to the root of your anger and channeled it beautifully into a powerful poem. Well done!
This is an excellent poem! I think it captures the gravity of systemic racism and brings to light what Black Lives Matter is supposed to mean. Great work!
I don’t want to offer any feedback, I want to say your message is so clear and right. this poem reflects your knowledge and will to fight for justice, actual justice. BLM isn’t a fad, it’s an issue. only thing i would say poem wise is to maybe do symbolism by only capitalizing the names of victims.
Black Lives Matter is more than hashtag, no doubt. It’s a reflection of the millions of Americans who are tired racial injustice in this country. I think your poem captures that spirit, that energy, that emotion perfectly. Keep writing, keep channeling that spirit into your words, GD.
This poem is so moving and you give such powerful statements. All of these social issues are more than a hashtag as your title says. Your poem allows me to think about the current events going on in the world. Very well written!
Hi GD! I agree 100% with you. Issues that deal with such importance shouldn’t be just a hashtag. It’s not some trend you can post about and then forget. These are thousands of people’s lives on the line. You made the piece informative yet insightful into the issue of getting to where we want to be. A hard issue to tackle that can’t be solved in one day. It will take years in order for people to truly start to realize how important this is.
This is such a powerful, incredibly important poem. Thank you for sharing your hurt and anger with us. There are so many important points in this. I think so often people just throw up a Facebook post, and a hashtag and think that their job is done, that they made a difference, but your poem calls for real action, real change and that’s what we really need. Your point of view is so important, and necessary for people like me, who don’t share the same lived experience to read. I also loved the word choices and rhyming in this poem. It helps to convey the emotion that you feel. Thank you for sharing this poem, your voice is so important, please continue to share it.
To GD- The Black Lives Matter movement is such an interesting and current topic in our society today. You are so right; Black Lives Matter is so much more than a hashtag and social media trend. The movement is talking about real individuals who face injustice in our country. These people are mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and real people who are getting treated like they don’t matter. People like to hop on the new trend and show people that they’re up to date on the latest issues. But just because you make an Instagram post and put the hashtag underneath it doesn’t mean you’re educated on the issue or helped at all. Also, I feel as though some people forget it’s not a new issue, Black individuals have gone through so much injustice forever and it feels as though our system doesn’t care to fix the issues. I do feel that this movement has shown those that weren’t aware of it before how big of a problem it is in our country and makes more people want to help but again, we have to remember it’s not just a hashtag.