Put on a black list.
Black because the list is negative
not because black people had anything to do
with putting Paul Robeson's name
with putting Langston Hughes' name
on a list that meant they would have to show up
and prove to the congress of the united states
that they were not involved in subversive cultural work
that had as a goal the importation of communism
into the united states
so it could transplant democracy
as the main political institution of the country.

Put on a black list.
Black because the list is positive
Because black people had everything to do
With putting Paul Robeson’s name
With putting Langston Hughes’ name
On a list that meant they did show up
And say to the Congress of the United States
That they were involved in subversive cultural work
That had as a goal the importation of true democracy
Into the United States
So it could transplant bourgeois democracy
As the main political institution of the country. 

Put on a black list
Black because black is beautiful
Because black people gave birth to our strongest soldiers
Those who sang or wrote, those who danced or engineered
A new cultural reality
That said to the people of this country
Black is beautiful, black is relevant, black is…

Black is you, black is me
Black is us, black is free

Black is you, black is me
Black is us, black is free*

Put on a black list
Because black is the beginning of everything.
It was black in the universe before the sun
It was black in the mind before we opened our eyes
It was black in the wombs of our mothers.
Black is the beginning 
And if we are the beginning
We will be forever
And if we are the beginning
We will be forever**
We will be forever loving jah***
As the god who resides within us
As the muse behind the original black list
Because it’s god ordained 
That black is you, black is me
Black is us, black is free.*


*   ©  Last Poets (Black Is)
**  ©  Sonia Sanchez (Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King)
*** ©  Bob Marley (Forever Loving Jah)