a new chapter in my history book

its funny. i wrote this poem in 2007 in my African American Lit Class....

"Blacks Have No History"
by angela walton 3/07

My history is bleak-
It is a string of dissappointments
Forgotten, pushed to the side, washed away, denied

My heritage is lost-
It is tangled in opression, rape, murder, pain,
separation, a long lost nation.

My forefathers are crying-
I am not the Mississippi
I am not even that great Underground Railroad
George Washington did not beget me.
I am a child of the Nile
A product of that Great Rift Valley(1)
Of Ghana. Of Togo. Of Benin.
Not a nation built so arrogantly on the backs of my people.

Long before Moses cried "let my people go"
I used to bathe in that Promised Land.
But as far as I was taught.... here....
My history is bleak.
My heritage is lost.
and so, my forefathers are crying.


but the funny thing about this is, i don't feel this way anymore. not even remotely. with Mr. Obama as our president, I have a renewed faith in black-American history. This is definitely a new chapter in what i feel is my history.

i love this change. i love the new vibe here in america. i love the hope and pride that is so thick you can almost taste it on your tongue. I LOVE MY PRESIDENT. i love his family.

i love that Obama not only stands for so much in the black communities, but he represents change in our country and LOVE across the entire world. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face just knowing that this country is changing every minute into a country that i am proud to call my own.

God Bless Obama.
God Bless My People.
God Bless The USA.