Liberation & Resilience By Emelda De Coteau

We, who carry our sorrows, remain the architects of boundless dreams.
We, who are descendants of human beings once shackled,
counted as chattel, 
denied agency. 

We are resilience, our existence, 
a righteous + holy defiance.

We, who came to transform barriers into bridges, 
steadying the foundation with melodic rhythms of blues unspoken, 
bars spit in cyphers shatter illusions 
America fed us as truth. 

We, who are caretakers of both spirit and memory, 
marching for Amir Locke, 
George Floyd, 
Tony McDade, 
Breonna Taylor, 
Ahmaud Arbery, 
Korryn Gaines, 
Philando Castile, 
Sandra Bland, 
Mya Hall, 
Rekia Boyd, 
and many others 
whose names elude us.

We are resilience, our existence, 
a righteous + holy defiance. 
Standing in the spirit of ancestors who learned to swallow rage for survival, 
claiming their hearts as fortresses, 
trembling under the weight of silent anguishes. 

In their honor 
we puncture invisible prisons  
with audacious + unapologetic rebellion.  

We 
Stand 
Unwilling 
to sacrifice
our voices 
ANY 
longer for the pseudo comforts 
you present us, America. 

Our 
Resilience 
Emerges 
Now 
as both 
Salvation and Sanctuary. 

For 
We 
Are 
Our 
Liberation.