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 77th 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
my father never wore his medals. said the shine belonged to the ones who didn’t make it back. but on this veterans day, i polish his name in my heart, a name that carried a wounded soldier to safety, a name that carried me through my darkest nights.
shot but not silenced, he came home with battle scars and a soft smile— a smile that could mend a neighborhood, a family, a world split wide open. agent orange tried to take him down, but it couldn’t touch the roots he planted in our lives.
he was a soldier, yes, but more than that, he was the man who taught me how to fight with love as my weapon, how to heal with words, how to build bridges with every step.
every kind word he gave was a revolution, every act of care, a lesson in freedom.
so today, i thank him, not just for his service, but for his unwavering belief that even in a broken world, we can create something beautiful.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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