by Eric Powell Jr. aka E.L.P.
And so she asked me…
“Whatchu Mixed Wit?”
With my…
Dirt yellow skin color that I inherited from my mother,
lamb wool hair,
full lips
and dark brown stare,
I say…
“Nutin’, I’m Black…”
She tells me,
“Stop liein’, your hair is too “good” for that!”
And I’m like, “Ummm…
I don’t think hair texture
should be described as “good” or “bad”,
Especially not when the one classified as “bad”
is the same exact one you happen to have…”
See…
Most people find this question to be harmless,
But to be honest, I find it to be the garments,
That clothe self-hatred…
And not ‘cause you mentioning ancestors of other races,
That may be the case, it’s just,
the way you say it…
And ask it… makes it seem like
you’re denying your Blackness…
Shuckin’ and jivin’ and tappin’ for the masters,
Putting on a mask, thinking it’s hidin’ yo’ madness, but…
You’ll soon come to realize the pigment that shades
in the rest of you isn’t one that matches…
Its like…
Ali changing his name to Cassius,
Its backwards,
Since we the Creator’s first children and we forgotten,
Does that make us bastards?
Through the practice of the wackest vision
of what the Christian religion
is in a white supremacist system
from Catholics to Baptists,
We were often cast as Satan and his minions,
While, whites were depictin’ themselves as
Jesus,
God
and faithful witnesses,
The masses of slaves
would go to masses on Sundays,
Where Pastors told ‘em being Black was a sin and,
Over time this was indoctrinated
into the minds of the slave children…
Take a mulatto child – put him in the kitchen,
Teach him that he’s better ‘cause he’s lighter,
Now that’s Willie Lynchin’…
Whats going on on these plantations
is the experimentation that includes the raping
of your foremothers, so,
Before ya brag about ya so-called
“good hair”, and ya, light skin,
just know it’s a “slight” chance
that the white man’s genes is in yours cause,
he molested ya great-great grands, and…
Don’t think you safe ‘cause part of them is in you…
‘Cause if you don’t at least look a hundred percent white,
You’re viewed as a “N—–” too…
It’s a one-drop rule…
So we…
straighten our hair,
lighten our skin,
Get surgery on our nose and lips,
our behinds we bust…
Just to conform with a society
that will never
love us
for us…
I taught my little sister to be proud of who she was,
That’s why I pitied her, when she asked me,
“EJ, why are white girls prettier?”
I try to tell her that she’s beautiful
and that all people are,
But I’m discouraged when I see her
changing her character to blonde on Poptropica,
The Westernized standard of beauty
runs rampant in the movies,
Media,
shows,
commercials,
videos,
and all of those,
I feel a NEED… to break these old fallacies,
Black people…
What does it take to realize,
our kinky curly hair symbolizes spiral galaxies,
Our different shades represent different realities,
and our – wait…
Forget the metaphysical stuff!
Lemme offer up some more tangible examples…
“Whatchu Mixed Wit?”
is not a question the police ask,
when they pull yo’ ass for bein’ Black,
Plant on ya person crack,
Imprison you or shoot you in the back,
And when you walk into that courtroom
for something you ain’t do,
And you get on deathrow,
and the white person who come in after you,
Get 6 months, you think they knew
– or rather gave one –
That you was “only half-Black?”!
Old white lady hold her purse
a little tighter when I walk by her,
“Why bruh? Don’t she know I’m like…
a sixteenth white like her?”
Now I know,
a lot of folks come from a mixed heritage,
I acknowledge that,
But all I’m tryna say
is never be ashamed,
to say,
that you BLACK…
*2014 Colorism Poetry Contest Division 2 Honorable Mention
About the Poet: Eric Powell ( E.L.P.J. ) is a 17 year old emcee & poet from the DMV area. Born and raised in the culture of Hip Hop, it was destined that E would pick up the mic and put on for the culture. He started rhyming around the age of 9 or 10 and self-released his debut EP/mixtape, “Visions In Blue” in the summer of 2011 at the age of 14. He also started building his buzz with enumerable performances throughout the DMV area, and more recently in Philly, Durham, New York City, and even Sweden! He’s released various singles, most notably, “DMV, Right On Time,” an anthem dedicated to his region rapped over the Canei Finch produced Kendrick Lamar banger, “Westside, Right On Time.” In the summer of 2013, he put out his second mixtape, “Verbal Technique Vol. 1.” He is also an alumni of the DC Youth Slam Poetry Team, who uses their poetry to talk about issues of social justice and take action on them.
E.L.P.J.’s ultimate goal – and what he deems his “mission” – is to change the world for the better. This he intends to do initially by teaching through his music and poetry. He hopes to reach and spark the minds of the masses, especially of his generation, in order to assist in the fostering in of a new age of worldwide revolution, both in thinking and action. He will also use his art as a platform for more direct activism and education. Lauded for his lyrical content, versatile flow, charismatic tone, and the old school values instilled in him by the influence of the golden age and underground Hip Hop on his music., E.L.P.J. is definitely on the come up and an emcee to watch for!