On Saturday, March 13th, we concluded our most recent round of Reconstruction’s Community Capacity-Building Curriculum. As part of Pillar III, we explored subgroups, grassroots partnerships, and institutional disruptions. Thanks to all who participated! Below is the word-cloud we made with our informal ‘notes.’
IT’S 2020
WELL, ANOTHER DECADE HAS PASSED
WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE 10 YEARS REMAIN IN THE PAST
BUT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE HERE & NOW
WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER DECADE TO BLOW
SO, LET’S THINK ABOUT THE YEAR JUST ENDED
DID YOU ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU INTENDED?
DID YOU GAIN IN WISDOM AND STRENGTH?
OR WERE YOU SWAYED AND CONVINCED BY A FEEBLE EVENT?
WERE YOU FAITHFUL TO YOUR CORE AND BELIEF?
OR DID 2019 HAVE YOU RUNNING AND SEEKING RELIEF?
I CAN’T SAY THAT LAST YEAR WAS SUCCESSFUL
I HAD TOO MANY PERIODS OF BEING STRESSFUL
I LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE I LOVED
I STARTED TO LOSE MY FAITH IN THE ABOVE
I SEPARATED FROM FRIENDS OF THE PAST
I WAS SHOCKED AND ROCKED WHEN I LEARNED LOVE DIDN’T LAST
I THOUGHT I KNEW WHO WERE MY REAL FRIENDS
AND WASN’T SURE HOW TO BEGIN AGAIN
I FINALLY GOT BACK TO WHAT WAS ALWAYS THERE
MY REAL FRIENDS, MY MUSLIM FAMILY AND MY PRAYER
YES! 2019 ENDED MUCH BETTER THAT IT BEGUN
I STARTED TO HAVE SOME REAL FUN
I BEGAN TO SMILE AND LAUGH AGAIN
I REMEMBERED WHAT I HAD AGAIN
I REMEMBERED TO BE THANKFUL FOR LIFE, FOR FAMILY, FOR THE LOVE
OF
MY
LORD
SURELY, I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HIM
YES! 2020 WILL BE BETTER, MY MAN
I KNOW THIS BECAUSE “MY LIFE” HAS RETURNED AGAIN…..
-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali
[NOTE from Hakim ‘Ali: It has been my practice and tradition to write a poem greeting each new year. But 2020 has been unique (to say the least), so I’m writing about the END of 2020, THE OTHER 2020].
IN LIFE THERE’S AN AUTOMATIC MISSION
AND
THERE’S NO SIN IF THERE’S PERMISSION
BUT
SOMETIMES THINGS SEEM TO GO AWRY
SO
YOU WONDER IF YOU’LL MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
THERE’S BLOOD STAINS IN THE STREETS
THERE’S THE STRONGEST PERSON TURNING TOWARDS BEING WEAK
THERE’S NORMALLY OUR VICTORIES, TURNING INTO DEFEATS
AND
WE SEEM TO CHANGE OUR BEAT
TO
TRYING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
MANY PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY ARE OF BLACK SKIN
AND
THEY’S HIDING, RUNNING AND SCARED OUT OF THE DANGER WITHIN
AND
EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN SEE THROUGH ALL THE LIES
THE OBJECTIVE IN LIFE IS
TO MAKE IT OUR ALIVE
NOW, THERE’S A NEW ENEMY AT LARGE
AN ENEMY THAT EXIST NOT BECAUSE WE WERE IN CHARGE
AN ENEMY MORE DEADLY THAN ANYHING WE’VE SEEN
AN ENEMY BROUGHT TO US FROM OUTSIDE OUR SHORES
AN ENEMY THAT HAS FORCED US TO STAY INDOORS
COVID 19
COVID 19
COVID 19
I DO HOPE THERE’S HOPE FOR US IN THE END
THIS ENEMY SEEMS TO WANT ALL OUR LIVES TO END
IT’S DIFFERENT FROM MAN-MADE STRIFE
THIS THING IS DETERMINED TO TAKE NOTHING BUT LIFE
BUT
WE’LL CONTINUE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
NORMALLY I’M SPEAKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
AND WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEW YEAR
BUT
NOW I’M WONDERING WHO AMONG US WILL BE HERE
NORMALLY I’M QUESTIONING THE OBJECTIVE OF MEN
NOW
THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS LIKE A MAXIMUM SECURITY PEN
STILL
WE STRIVE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
[music/sing: make it out alive
My my my
Make it out alive
Oooh oooh, aaaah aaah, ummm ummm]
NOW WE CAN’T FORGET, THE OTHER REGRET
THAT
KILLINGS AND MURDER AND BLOOD STAINS STILL EXIST
THIS VIRUS HASN’T STOPPED THE MADNESS IN THE STREETS/IN OUR MIDST
I SEE BLOOD STAINS ON THE DOOR, ON THE FLOOR, IN THE STREET
YET
NO ONE STEPS UP TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
NO MAN, NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE
STILL EVEN NOW
WE GOTTA MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
WHAT’S A KING TO A GUY, WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING?
OUR HISTORY IS NOT INSPIRING, YET WE SURVIVED
OUR CHALLENGES ARE TREMENDOUS, OUR TRUTHS UNIQUE
WE LOOK AT 2020 FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECIVE
AS WE MEET AND GREET
THIS NEW YEAR
WE LEAVE 2020 IN A DIFFERENT STATE OF MIND
YET
AS WE LEAVE IT BEHIND, WE’LL STILL STRIVE,
TO
MAKE IT OUT ALIVE!
-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali
Plays are my Psalms sung unto God, someone once told me
Stories staged to bless the condemned
A portrait of deliverance or chaos, freeing the hopeless for just a few short hours
We are all actors behind the razor wire
Moment by moment, one scene at a time
I feel alive portraying these roles
The struggles of the confined
This is where my redemption dwells
A purpose revealed to this mass population
A dedicated legacy defined
-(c) 2020, SCI-Phoenix
Trapped in the bars of my mind
Addiction has feasted on my soul
Obsession controlling my thoughts
Incarcerated within my world
A dark cloud hovers over me
I’m searching for the light
My prefrontal cortex is on lockdown
Welcome to prison world
I gotta break free, plan my escape
Release myself from the bondage
Riot my emotions
Next stop, Death Row, if I don’t break the chains of oppression
I must look into the eyes of reality
Accept rehabilitation and embrace my recovery
Learn to forgive all, including myself
Accountability and responsibility is my motto of truth
A heart of remorse
Atonement lays at my feet
Freedom calls my name
-(c) 2020, SCI-Phoenix
Reposted from Chicago Review Press: “In Pennsylvania’s first use of mitochondrial DNA in a criminal case, Patricia Rorrer was quickly tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But did the jury make the right decision? Is Patricia Rorrer truly guilty? As new evidence continues to surface, including allegations of evidence tampering, that question requires an answer even more. The book reveals information never before made public and gathered directly from more than 10,000 official documents, including Pennsylvania State Police reports, FBI files, forensic lab results, and the 6,500-page trial transcript.”
