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 47th 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.
Came home with dust in my mouth, words caught in the teeth of goodbye— all these years, this body, this heartbeat, this slow song of flesh against metal. The machines learned my name before my boss did, learned how to break me open without spilling blood.
How do I tell my wife there’s no milk money, no light bill, no rent, no Christmas gifts this year? That the factory shut down, lights flicked off like stars, & my job disappeared into a boardroom fog, vanished like smoke through the air vents? How do I look my kids in the face when I can’t even look at myself in the mirror?
America, I am a man made of things that break— bones & promises, dreams & clocks. Ain’t it a shame how the clock don’t tick for the ones who built its gears?
We need more than hope, more than small change in a coffee can prayer jar. We need a leader who don’t just say the right words, but who will bring the factories back, who will stand in the picket line, who will shout with us, shoulder to shoulder.
This ain’t just about paychecks, it’s about feeding dignity to our families, holding our heads up high at the dinner table. We need a president who sees us, the ones who bleed metal & muscle, who see the value in our hands.
So when I tell my son I lost my job, I want to say it knowing someone’s fighting to make sure it never happens again— that there’s someone out there who believes we’re worth more than the sum of our sweat.
I want to tell him that losing ain’t the end, that we will rise, that someone’s got our backs, that the world still believes in the sound of our work, in the power of our hands, in the song we sing when we build.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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