Unintentional Vignettes

Even after all we've just seen
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor
And everything in between
People still don't want to believe it when I tell them
I was sentenced to death for something I didn't do
WHen I tell them I've been in solitary confinement for 28 years
They find that hard to believe, too

I can show them proof of my innocence and ten minutes later they'll ask me
"Keith, what did you do?"

In a country where black men can be killed for simply running down the street
Or standing on the sidewalk
No one wants to believe the truth

After a prison riot
I was falsely accused and charged with nine counts of aggravated murder
Almost immediately after I was offered a deal
Plead guilty and the nine counts will be drastically reduced

Problem was, I didn't kill anybody

So when people ask what did I do
I tell them I did what any innocent person would do
I pled, "Not guilty." I demanded a trial. I told the truth
Since I didn't do anything, I assumed I would be found not guilty
But an all-white jury was assembled and evidence of my innocence was suppressed
That's how the criminal justice system works in America when you are poor and black
If you don't have the capital, you get the punishment, and that's just a simple fact

It took over two decades for me to find and realign the pieces of my case
On the way, I nearly lost my mind
Twenty-three hours a day in a cell is hell, believe me
John Coltrane saved my life
When all my hope was gone and I felt most alone in my struggle
It was A Love Supreme that meant to everything to me
It gave me the strength and motivation to continue my fight

It was my grandmother who told me that what was in the dark would come to light
But that in the meantime, between time, it was important to keep my heart right
To not allow the darkness I was moving through to conquer me
"The truth will come out," she said, and she was right

The system is broken, and deep down inside a lot of us know it
And it's broken because the people who run it are broken
So the goal, if you want to be free, is to not let it break you

I've seen a lot of people give up along the way
Give in to what other people had to say
But it's important when you're traveling this road of life to believe in yourself
No matter what
Keep fighting
Keep moving forward
Never, never, never give up
That's what's up
Never give up