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 117th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems
i was not born to write elegies for little girls who should be braiding constellations into each other’s hair
but here i am— fingertips trembling, dragging ink like lifeboats across the page
they told me the water came like a sermon but no god i know would steal daughters mid-laughter
i carry their names in the back of my throat like unsung hymns— heavy, holy, unforgiven.
and still— we are praying for your rescue, for time to rewind like riverbeds drying for arms to reach before the silence does.
we are not letting go. we are holding on to your breath as if it were our own. ©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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