As a Revolutionary american Abolitionist
I have too many friends who at election
Are just trying diss and
Its hard to believe
No 20-somthings other than me
Can see anything worth to redeem
In this broken democracy
This hopeless democracy
This choking democracy
How many of us
Have to sigh “I can’t breathe”
Before we choose to take the lead?
The ballot box
Is just another WEAPON
To use by any means
As a West African descended Abolitionist
I have a ton of hope for a future
I know that could exist
Since I can’t help but receive
These Ancestral memories
Recalling masses of crowds
Moved by daring solidarity
Unwavering solidarity
Periling solidarity
It’s a collective voice that weakens
When you choose to refuse to speak
When our collective goals
Seem to be well out of reach
Please allow the vote to be
An act of solidarity
The ballot box
Is just another weapon
To use by any means
As a revolutionary New Afrikan Abolitionist
I value those who embrace
Our sovereign right to simply exist
But it’s hard to achieve
With so many players riding the bench on the team
In the decades of voting ahead
We could transform this whole regime
Some sadly are torn between
Barred by laws and snubbed by policies
With Legislators continually
Looking for ways
To try to cage the dream
Now’s not the time to recede
The ballot box
Is just another weapon
To use by any means
And it’s necessary
Written by Amani Sawari
This Spoken Word premiered at Michigan United’s Michigan People’s Campaign’s event, “MI United Juneteenth: Millennials and the Vote”
