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Mustafa Santiago Ali
Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is the Executive Vice President of Conservation & Justice for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), former Interim Chief of Programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Instructor at American University. He is the Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He also serves as a commissioner for The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). He is an award-winning writer and poet focused on social justice. Dr. Ali is frequently seen on television, including appearances on MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, VICE, FUSE, BET, National Geographic, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Democracy NOW! Mustafa is also a regular guest on Roland Martin Unfiltered, Black News Channel, Tavis Smiley Show, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and many others…
Editor's Note: This poem is the 16th in our Democracy and Peril Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events
u already know the answer, it sleeps beneath your skin, woven in the fabric of choices you make. the pain, the impact, the lies— you’ve seen them grow like weeds in the garden of power, and still, you water them.
misogyny doesn’t whisper, it shouts. homophobia doesn’t hide, it stands proud in the light of day, and racism, well, it never left. yet you choose— not because you have to, but because you want to.
you wrap yourself in the comfort of false necessity, but necessity never spoke the language of harm. you are not chained to this, not bound by some invisible law— no, this is a choice. a decision made with clear eyes, with a heart that’s learned to look away.
yes, you are. because you choose to be, when you never had to be.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
#Poetry #ProudBlue #KamalaHarris #Resist