Foto: Canva
Your hair, your crown
It has been exactly 32 years,
yet the pencil that wrote our history
still cannot be erased
it has become sharper
in the hands of our own people
history is repeating itself
and I can hear the cries of our ancestors
it was always about more than just colour
their cries still echo
the pencil got stuck in our curls
it decided where we belonged
and decided what we deserved
our rights, education, residence, and employment
their cries still echo
for them it was never that deep
for us it was always that deep
so in honour of those that came before us
let your audacity offend them
because your coils, your curls, and your braids
are not merely an aesthetic
they are not just means of adornment
they are not a trend
they are deeply rooted in an identity that survived every attempt to erase it
your roots tell beautiful stories
intertwined with powerful symbols of resistance
your afro, curls and braids
are not a trend, but a crown
it is a powerful symbol of black pride and identity
your hair, your crown
you do not have to shrink to fit in
because darling you
and your big, puffy, curly afro and braids
were meant to take up space
and that scares them
history has learned to wear a different uniform
it now hides behind policies
that label black natural hair as untidy and wild
dressing prejudice in professionalism
it has been exactly 32 years
it was about more than just colour
the pencil that wrote our history
still cannot be erased
the pencil has turned into something sharper
and sharp things cut deep