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 110th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems
you shook the dust from the corners of Capitol Hill, where hope was a whisper in the concrete, where justice was a door bolted shut. you stood, unshaken, when the weight of centuries pressed down— you carried us, as though it was your birthright.
they called you bold, because they didn’t understand the quiet gravity of a man unwilling to bend. you were the bridge, the voice, the light breaking through bitter dawn, and now, as the world holds its breath at the news, we say your name like a prayer, a hymn of gratitude.
you were never just one of a kind. you were the fire, the laughter of ancestors dancing through the storm, the stubborn, beautiful truth that justice is not a dream deferred, but a promise kept by men who dare to live it.
rest now. your power, your grace— we carry them forward, knowing the world is better because you were here.
Mustafa Santiago Ali
#CharlieRangel #Poetry #RestInPeace