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 70th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events
they forgot / the weight of us / this flesh, this breath, this grind they ignore, til it rumbles loud / shakes loose the dust of their lies, Kamala sayin’ it plain / reminded us— our power ain’t in whispers, but in what we choose.
The Black Vote, boom! / like brass in the streets, a rhythm / a stomp / a voice that won’t choke they can’t bury what was never dead— our ballots shoutin’ names of the lost, names they tried to erase, yet we carry like fire.
The Women’s Vote, spit truth with teeth bared, steel-spined, soul-filled, our march unbroken, they forgot we don’t ask permission / don’t wait, we tear down walls, build bridges / we make & unmake, each vote a hammer / a song of what will be ours.
The Immigrant Vote—crossed borders, seas, can’t hold back, our names written in earth & wind / ancient & strong, each choice a call to home / here & there / we belong on both sides, beyond walls, in every land we walk we vote for the right to exist, for our children’s voices.
The working class vote, the grind, the grit, we don’t work for crumbs / we rise to claim tables, our hands hold the world / we who build & carry, each ballot cast a slap to the smug / the takers, we want justice in numbers / justice in wages / justice now.
The LGBTQ Vote—free to be, loud, unapologetic, we love without shame, we rise without fear, our votes a heartbeat, a pulse, a flash of color, we are the bright / the bold / the forever here, each vote sayin’ “we live, we love, we ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
The Youth Vote—wild-eyed with knowing, they who see beyond the walls we built, they don’t flinch, don’t fear to break old rules, they vote like fire through dry grass / they light paths we couldn’t walk / they won’t stop.
The Indigenous Vote—earth-bound, a drumbeat unbroken, a history written in soil, each vote a reclamation of what was taken, a song for water & land, they vote with spirits, with roots, with truth, they speak for what’s sacred / for those who came before.
And the Forgotten Vote—those they left out, names uncounted, faces unseen, they rise up now, from fields, from streets, from shadows unspoken, each vote a reckoning, a shout from the deep, a vow / that they can’t be erased, that they too belong.
now they see / this power, thick like the night, we are the fists, the march, the voice they can’t ignore, all of us bound like rivers into a roaring sea, together, we unstoppable, undeniable, free— we are the proof, the prophecy, the storm comin’ fierce,
our power is here, and we decide— we the people, the ones they tried to forget, & now they know— this, the weight of our vote.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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