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 114th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems
A decade has passed since that harrowing day when a White supremacist stepped into Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., and took the lives of nine innocent souls. This #Poem is for them:
ten years ain’t healed the pews— still whisperin’ psalms through smoke. some Sundays, the choir don’t sing— they moan in key, grief stuck in their throats like gunfire’s echo.
a man walked in with skin the law don’t fear, carried hate like scripture & made a sanctuary bleed.
nine names carved into air, ain’t no wind strong enough to forget ’em. they were prayer & porchlight, hallelujah & hush, Black & beloved.
but America got a blind spot where its heart should be— calls it history, calls it mental illness, never calls it what it is.
we ain’t just mournin’— we fightin’. lighting candles while buildin’ barricades, lovin’ God while watchin’ our backs. we know peace don’t come without a reckoning.
so we hold hands, say their names like armor: Cynthia. Susie. Tywanza. Daniel. Sharonda. Myra. Ethel. DePayne. Clementa.
this ain’t just a eulogy— it’s a war cry wrapped in a hymn, a vow made with tear-stained mouths: we gon’ turn this grief into somethin’ holy that fights back.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
#Poetry #Rememberance #EmanuelNine #Healing
As we reflect on this tragic anniversary, let us honor their memory by reigniting our commitment to the fight against racial violence. Together, we can strive for justice and work towards building safer, more inclusive communities for all