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 103rd in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems
he did not wear his faith like a robe for show— he wore it threadbare, stitched with the prayers of the poor, the broken, the ones called “less.”
he did not walk on water, but he walked with us— through border dust, through back-alley shadows, through pews that creaked under centuries of silence.
he fought—not with fists, but with open arms. blessing the unheard, naming them sacred, lifting their sorrow like a gospel hymn.
his was not a throne, but a threshold— where the mighty knelt and the meek were crowned in dignity.
he finished the race like a river does— carving stone and singing still. he kept the faith like a mother keeps memory, gently, even when the world forgets.
rest now, old lion of light. you taught us that holiness ain’t in the rules we write but in the love we live. and you, you lived it full. you lived it free. you lived it gracefully.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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