They told me that I would want to be like Them An American Like Them.
(I was born here)
They told me to learn English That would make me an American Like Them
(American was speaking English like Them)
They told me to salute/worship/put my hand over my heart/stand tall before the American Flag Like Them
(But I thought only their god deserved that tribute)
(Image by David Peterson from Pixabay)
That the Founding Fathers were Their heroes They would become My heroes
(12 White Presidents enslaved humans) (Washington enslaved humans for 56 years) (Jefferson enslaved over 600 humans)
That I should learn The Declaration of Independence That All Men are Created Equal
(41 of 56 of the signers enslaved humans)
The Constitution of the United States of America The one that excluding Indians not taxed, And three fifths of all other Persons
(25 of 55 signers enslaved humans)
Image by Erik Eris from Pixabay
Home of the Free. Home of the Brave. For White Men only
(Not Black, Brown, Indigenous, Women of any color)
They told me to believe Them They wouldn’t lie But They forgot to tell me about
(The broken treaties and genocide against indigenous humans) (The enslavement of humans in forced labor camps called Plantations) (The racist and brutal Manifest Destiny) (The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882) (The internment of Japanese Americans for their own good) (The other American History They didn’t want to hurt my feelings)
(Image by SEDAT TAŞ from Pixabay)
They told me to believe Them Why would they lie All the good things came from Europe
(Everywhere else was a shit-hole)
They told me to believe Them Speak like Them Act like Them Dress like Them Eat like Them And then They would call me an American Like Them They told me to believe Them They wouldn’t lie
They told me they were Americans I told Them I know who they really are.
My life has been a rollercoaster of experiences, from The Bronx to Washington, D.C., to Hartford, Connecticut, and Los Angeles, California—first as a seminarian studying to become a priest, then as a local and national community organizer, a radio host and producer, a journalist and producer across radio and television, a government bureaucrat, a youth mentor, and a small business consultant. Beyond those roles, I’ve also tried my hand at being a jewelry vendor, a motorcycle courier, an airport shuttle driver, and a bartender at a German alpine-themed bar.
I recently suffered a mild stroke that upended my life and derailed my writing goals. However, anyone who knows me will tell you that life will have to come at me even harder if it thinks it can stop me.
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