I’ve been talking a lot about the Freedom Writers lately, and I thought that now I would let them speak for themselves. Here are two poems, taken from the book that was a compilation of their work.
They say, I say
They say
I am brown
I say
I am proud.
They say
I only know how to cook
I say
I know how to write a book
So don’t judge me by the way I look
They say
I am brown
I say
I am proud
They say
I’m not the future of this nation
I say
Stop giving me discrimination Instead
I’m gonna use my education to help build the human nation. —-A Freedom Writer

Redwood and fern
Stand
Stay Black———
Stay Proud
Stay White______
Stay Proud
Stay Brown—–
Stay Proud
Stay Yellow
Stay Proud…….
Don’t be afraid to be what you are, ‘
cause all you can be, is you!
You’ll never be anything else but you,
so be the best you, you can be.
Keep it real—
by all means, at all times.
Whether a lawyer, a doctor, a football player,
a toilet cleaner, a garbage handler, a panhandler—
Keep it real and still—
be the best you can be.
Have pride, have dignity, stand!
Stand proud, talk proud, act proud, be proud!
Don’t lay down, back down, bow down, run away.
sell out yourself, sell into criticism.
Be real and realize that the ones who criticise,
best recognize that you are you!
take it or leave it.
MMM HMMM —– a freedom writer

Redwood trees