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 118th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems
they don’t need ropes
when they’ve got red tape—
laws that starve,
rules that rape
the dignity
from a mother’s plate.
they call it reform—
we call it a noose,
tightened with every
budget excuse.
today,
the lynching’s neat:
paper trails
instead of blood in the street,
but the grave
don’t care
how you got there.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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