The students featured in “Poems for Black Lives Matter” attended the following schools when the pieces were published. And that gives me hope. I found this poem on Tumblr a long time ago and I have been haunted, since, by how beautiful it is. Katy’s had this poem for a while, and when she sent it to me, I just had to pass it on to you. “Breonna Taylor” by Charlotte Malmin, Grade 12, Collaborative Art Piece by Quintaz Owens, Donnieka Jones, Charlene Morris, and Roosevelt Ferrell, Grade 11, Untitled Artwork by Bryce Gooden, Grade 12, “Self-Portrait” by Khaliah Deya, Grade 12, Self Portrait by Arise Washington, Grade 9. Get YOUR KNEE OFF Our NECKS. we are protesters pepper-sprayed with knees on our necks… Posted on May 28, 2020. it’s their neck. ~ We come to God on bended knee, The only one we want to please, And bow down low before His throne To give all thanks to Him alone. Most of the pieces in this collection have been featured in print volumes of CHARM since 2014. “Get your knee off our necks,” is the Rev. Or the likeness of love, the shadow aspect. PLANT A KNEE . Despite calls for help from Floyd and startled onlookers, the officer pressed his knee deeper onto his neck until he […] Pulse Detected: Away with Knees on Our Neck. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. … 'Twas the night before joint replacement surgery when all through the house, There wasn't a rug to be tripped on, not even a computer mouse. Our democracy is choking. This is the wrong place to be. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be is you kept your knee on our neck,” the Rev. by Belle Fox-Martin. a song/poem by the singer/actress, jenifer lewis, about the horrors of george floyd's murder and other black victims whose lives have been taken by the hands of police officers. Knowing how He saved our lives, This isn't such a sacrifice, To humbly praise our precious Lord And give Him praise forevermore. Ranked poetry on Knees, by famous & modern poets. The hospital overnight bag was It sticks out to me, and it points to the importance of using our voices, particularly for groups who have been systemically and physically at times silenced, whether it’s at a nationally televised debate, or whether it is with our pointed fingers, pushing buttons in a voting booth.” it’s his knee. Al Sharpton, founder and president of National Action Network, speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during the "Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks… we are protesters pepper-sprayed with knees on our necks. As a race, African Americans have been on a journey for centuries. i wanna be ready/to put on my long white robe…. black irish welsh french german polish italian, jewish puerto rican mexican greek russian, we are bicentennial and we are new millennial, we are essential and we are frontline on (one's)/its knees 1. 6abc Philadelphia 1,578 views It is about being asphyxiated and yet we who brought this democracy with our … The last thing he saw was the burst of fire from a nearby Corsair that took him down as well.” They don’t care about our lives, they only care about one thing, and that’s their profits. One of his juniors nodded, turned, and ran for the exit, just as the sergeant took two hits in the shoulder pad and lower back armor that knocked him to his knees. “She said it a couple times. We could run corporations and not hustle in the street, but you had your knee on our neck. And this is the way it goes. Al Sharpton’s phrase for the uprising of 2020. Write a piece of prose or poetry around the phrase: “on our knees” we chant no justice, no peace we chant fuck the police we chant for release we beg for justice amongst peace we beg for mercy from the police we beg for release we pray for justice and peace we pray for fairness… Mama told us a long time ago to walk tall and straight with your head up! Copyright © 2021 Vibe Media, LLC. It is … Learn how to write a poem about Knees and share it! I can’t kneel! If he is Black You wanna kill him slow In Minnesota On Africa Freedom Day May 25 Plant your knee In his neck. Al Sharpton speaks out at George Floyd memorial: 'Get your knee off our necks' - Duration: 31:24. And there is only one group of people with the power to get their knees off our necks, and that is us. it’s his neck. Casseroles, stews and soups were tucked in the freezer with care, Knowing that post-op me, soon would ravage in there. I am not a hugely social person and I don't date a lot at all, possibly because I am so impatient and it is so hard to meet anyone organically these days that it kind of just makes me lose hope in the whole thing. Baltimore Design School • Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women • Baltimore Polytechnic Institute • Baltimore School for the Arts • Bard High School Early College • Friendship Academy at Calverton • City Neighbors High School • Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School • The Midtown Academy • Southwest Baltimore Charter School. On May 25, 2020, people across America and the world were stunned as footage captured George Floyd pinned beneath three police officers, one of whom pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Kevin Powell is a poet, journalist, civil and human rights activist, and the author of 14 books. We were smarter than the underfunded schools you put us in, but you had your knee on our neck. CHARM student editors began curating this collection of poems in February 2020, in support of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, using poems that were featured in previous volumes of CHARM. Smirk to the world In front of 2020 Google Earth Eyes wide open (L-R) Siobhan Francis, Tasha Dougé and Amneris Alvarado with piece “This Land is OUR Land” aka Justice, Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s Brotherly Battle Debuts New Verzuz-Triller Partnership, Revisit Tupac’s April 1995 Cover Story: ‘READY TO LIVE’. We are accepting submissions for this topic on an ongoing basis. By Amaya Burke, Grade 11 “I can’t breathe” “I cant breathe” His knees on his neck We all watch as his life slips away from him 8 mins of horror Another life to mourn Officers fired Okay but that’s not enough for us Still no charges They're protecting these murderers We’re tired of … Because you’ve seen the knee on our necks. I wonder if they have the memories we do: sleepwake, working on our tans, ribbons of flesh twirling, long isabelline bus rides of dusk, necks of tulle, promises made on hands and knees, wet grass, actual heartache or actual love. Years later they rip through our throats, knees on our necks, dressed in blue. The Rev. “take your knee and privilege off my neck it's time for this entitlement and injustice to get checked all hands on deck see, nothing was perfect To submit something, please contact our student editors at submissions@charmlitmag.org. it’s their knee on their neck. If you plan on eating, I … Brothers and sisters, we have to stop the madness one way or another. I can’t breathe! The logo for Black Lives Matter at School was designed by Fabiha Ahmed, a high school student at Bard High School in Queens NY. May it be so. It is time we use our strength to rise from the weight of those knees resting on our necks. It is extremely difficult for anybody to put their knee on your neck when you are standing tall with your head held high. The knee is pressing its neck hard and it cannot breathe. O, a medley of skin trying to find an answer. On Our Knees by Denise Collier. Girls version: Butterface = But her face. it's our neck it's our knee it's our knee on our neck. burn our neighborhoods down. The first two poems featured were written in spring 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the protests that have followed around police brutality, white supremacy, and racism in our country. The knee is pressing its neck hard and it cannot breathe. it’s their knee. This is the best explanation I can give. He collapsed, blood spraying from a wound in his neck, eyes opened wide. I'm the path which air goes to the lung without me, songs couldn't be sung your head wouldn't turn without your neck can't imagine how many times you'd wreck. we are everyday people and we are people everyday, we are #metoo we are #metoo we are #metoo, we are bible torah koran atheist agnostic truer than true, we are rabbis and imams and preachers and yoruba priests, tap-dancing with buddhists and hindus and rastafarians, jump and jive and split the earth in half, like we got Judith Jamison’s crying solo in our eyes, every hello ain’t alone every good-bye ain’t gone, we are every tongue every nose every skin every color every face mask, we are every tattoo every piercing every drop of blood, we are straight queer trans non-gender conforming, big people little people in between people, we are protesters pepper-sprayed with knees on our necks, trail of tears and lynchings and holocausts. I do so much and I'm called the neck I connect your body to your head that in its self should be enough said. Fury and anger between equals and peers – when there is a knee on our necks, an invasion of our homes, in the very taking of our lives – is an act of righteous resistance, an insurrection against power and privilege, and an invitation for all into solidarity. Pulse Detected-Away with knees on our neck. You can’t pretend you don’t know. Photography by Kay Hickman…. they call us thugs. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Al Sharpton urged those gathered Thursday “to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks!’” Celebrities, musicians and politicians are among those who attended the Minneapolis service for the 46-year-old Floyd, whose death at the hands of a police officer sparked national protests on racial injustice. 111 likes. Poems about Knees at the world's largest poetry site. Knees on our necks. His next will be a biography of Tupac Shakur. 2. I didn’t go by ship or plane, I traveled on my knees. "It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say, 'Get your knee off our necks!'" Al Sharpton said in a fierce eulogy. Rev. Not alone, but as workers, because no matter how they try to … You have heard us say we can’t breathe. I took a moment to think, after receiving so many messages from people wanting to understand our plight. We had creative skills, we could do whatever anybody else could do, but we couldn’t get your knee off our neck. A person is sexy from neck to knees. GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS is our GLOBAL PLIGHT going forward, paving the way for a brighter future, safer planet for ALL! Our democracy is choking. The reality is that we’ve received and published many, many poems addressing systemic racism, police brutality, and racial injustice, as well as poems that celebrate Black joy, identity, and liberation. Take your knee off my neck! In a weakened or desperate state; in a condition or state of decline or near ruin. Step by step, day by day Listen: Last night I took a journey to a land across the seas. In recognition of Juneteenth, Powell shares an exclusive excerpt from his new book When We Free The World. In a position or manner of supplication or humble entreaty. Everyone knows what goes around comes around. This poem is an exclusive excerpt from Kevin Powell’s new book When We Free The World, published by Apple Books. CHARM is committed to amplifying Black voices and experiences, and actively pursuing anti-racism in our organization and through our publications. POEM: Reflection. we are protesters pepper-sprayed with knees on our necks. All Rights reserved. A soft word for n***** Saying a name is not enough. All hands on deck. Prayer Out of the question. We gladly put our flesh aside, The ridding all it has to hide, Yes, the anger is still there, but there is also hope.Maybe now when there is a job that I deserve, my name won’t … You don’t kick A man That’s already down Hands locked In his back Chest down Belly loose Genitalia nowhere to hide. Jeb might have scorned me for the manual labor job I offered him here 10 years ago, but he's been on his knees begging for it now that the economy has gone south. To me, this captures entirely what love is all about. How would you feel if someone you loved was taken … We want to hear from you! CHARM Literary Magazine, 10 East North Avenue, Baltimore MD, 21202, United States. The “knee” has been there for a while. There is a knee on our democracy’s neck. Been there for a while, but as workers, because no matter how they try to … “ said! Collapsed, blood spraying from a wound in his neck, eyes opened wide you don ’ t by. 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