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 tenth in our Democracy and Peril Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political event
We’ve seen your type before, dusty echoes of a past that never died, you come dressed in new suits, but your words, old as rust, stale as the lies you cling to, like a lifeline, like a prayer to a god long gone.
You think you’re slick, spitting venom with a smile, but we’ve heard it all, every recycled slur, every dog whistle blown to the tune of hate, you sing the same tired song, but we’re not dancing.
Donald, we know your kind too well, your fear wrapped in bravado, your ignorance masquerading as power, but history’s eyes are wide open, and your tricks, your smirks, they don’t fool us, not anymore.
You’re a rerun we’ve grown tired of, a bad joke told one too many times, and we’re the punchline that bites back, the truth that won’t stay silent, we’re the future that refuses your past.
2024, and still, you cling to ghosts, but we’ve moved on, we’re writing new scripts, speaking new tongues, and your echoes? They fade, like the last gasp of a dying star, falling into the void of everything we’ve overcome.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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