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Each of the illustrated examples are represented through their writings in Beneath the Mountain: An Anti-Prison Reader. BTM stands as both an example of, and a testament to, the incarcerated Black radical tradition. Order Here
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AFRIKA: WHO WE ARE
By Kevin “Rashid” Johnson
Our history didn’t begin
With slavery
Under the yoke
Of Arab and European knavery
No one favored me
With the truth
Of our bravery
From whence we came
Our true culture and history
Or our true names
It’s a shame
That we aim
To identify with every lie
That denies
Who we are
And why
It was all ripped away
So we now try
To imitate
Every shade and shape
Different from our own
Natural state
Thinking our history began
With a master’s rape
So we imagine everything
European is great
And now we hate
Our thick lips dark eyes
Broad noses hips and thighs
And our kinky hair
That we bleach and fry
And why?
To disguise
The beauty
We originated
That everyone else
Has always imitated
Tried to duplicate it
Even as they berate it
Claim they hate it
Yet darken their skin
With tanning booths and lotions
Wanna get thick
With all kinda positions
Botox silicone
Lip and hip injections
Curled hair
Fake dreads
A clear reflection
Of Afrikan beauty
That they don’t share
Of features
That eclipse
Thin lips and hair
That allow us
To survive and thrive
Freezing tundra to tropic zones
Without sunscreens or skin creams
To protect our tones
But let’s move on
To who we really are
To why Afrika is humanity’s
Shining star
She gave birth to the first
Homo sapiens
And the greatest historical
Civilizations
Ancestors we loved and honored
With libations
Where the young didn’t
Grow up with unanswered questions
Elders were on hand
To teach important lessons
Suited to build character
And confidence
At every age
Guided by rites of passage
At every stage
Trained as providers
Whose lives belonged
To the community
Whose greatest aim
Was to keep the people’s unity
Hundreds of thousands of years
They knew no war
No lying no stealing
No one was poor
Selfishness lost one
All respect
No one was homeless
There was no neglect
Just respect
Each life committed
To protect
One another
And all members
Loved each other
Like sister and brother
Like father and mother
survival was based
On cooperation
Not pursuit of
Selfish occupations
Training and discipline of children
Was a community affair
Disrespect of elders
They didn’t dare!
Even as class contradictions
And conflicts in
Societies evolved
There was still
Great communion
Great resolve
To involve
Broad sectors of the population
In decision-making
In building civilization
From Kemet…
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