DON'T FORGET ABOUT US

As you lay me down to sleep
I pray you Lord
My soul to keep
And if I die before I wake

And if I die

I wonder if she said her prayers that night

I wonder who was the last person she called
Were her and mama on good terms
Did she and her friends
Have next day plans
Before they closed their eyes
And they said their good nights
Did she and her boyfriend
Make love one last time

Was she looking forward
To tomorrow
Only for tomorrow
To never come

Eight bullets
They placed inside her body
With no regard
For police policy
They broke into her home
Like thieves in the night
And then spun their villainy
In a way
That made her look guilty
And here we are

5 months later
And I just saw picture
Of one of Breonna's killers
Living his best life
On the beach
With his privileged daughters

Don't forget about us

Before there was Breonna
We had Sandra Bland
5 years ago
Pulled over
For a failing to signal
Infraction
How easily
These blue uniformed monsters
Labeled
This BLM Activist
Suicidal
A verdict
That is normalized
For Black people
As our struggles
Deemed so overwhelming
That
We must be crazy
Enough
To take our own lives
While in police custody

Don't forget about us

Not just
To highlight
My black sisters
As my brown friends
Are also common victims
Vanessa Guillen
Fought for this country
And homeland
But died
Not by the hands of war
But by a man
She considered comrade

And for the military
To mishandle
Yet another case
Of sexual harassment
Is just like these cops
Who live above
Their own laws
I'm still waiting
For the outcry
For these women
Just as loud
As they are the black man
Who will cry for the little boy
Is often
The question

And I say
Hi
Everyone
The world
In outrage
Riots
And we demand protests
Are all birthed
After the murders
Of Black men
But my sisters
Often seen as an afterthought
We
Are not only fighting
Black and Blue SWAT teams
White supremacy
Bigotry
And brainwashed ideology
But also our brothers
Our Uncles
Our fathers
Best friends and cousins
Where are the black men
Who wrap us in protection
You
Look like me
You are my kin
Yet my dark skinned
Sista
Can be thrown in the garbage
Toyin Salau
Can be assaulted
And then murdered
By a Brother
That she would've advocated
His life matters
Or that
A grown man
Can yank off my panties and pants
Without permission
We are no one's property
Where is the accountability
This
Culture
Of rape
Murder
And bullying
Is like the Corona disease

It has existed
Way longer than we think
And is covered up
By masked individuals
Who are meant
To serve and protect
Where's our covering

Atatiana Jefferson
Murdered in Fort Worth Texas
Rekia Boyd
Killed by an off duty detective
Dante Servin

19 yr old
Renisha McBride
Murdered
In Dearborn Heights
Korryn Gaines
While holding her son
SWAT team killed her
For a traffic violation
Kira Johnson
Amber Issac
Sha-Asia Washington
All died
From medical negligence

Need I go on

Sexual violence
Daily bias
Institutionalized
Gendered racism
Black women
Always at the forefront
Leading the protests
Being the catalyst
Not only
Giving life
But saving them
Forgiving
Courageous
And strength unmatched
Carrying the whole world
On our backs
As well as
In our bellies
I
Demand
You care about me
Because without me
There'd be no you

So look at my face
And remember it
Cause God forbid
I don't wanna be
Just another hashtag

Don't forget about us



Credits
Writer(s): Candace Lippman
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com

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