Uniquely Us
The Creation of Black Americans - A Teaching Poem
You love us
because you see yourself in us,
but you can never be us.
You love our music.
You love our style.
You love our food.
You love our slang.
You love our confidence.
You love our creativity.
You love our rhythm.
You love our resilience.
You love the culture.
But culture isn't something you download.
It isn't a trend.
It isn't something you wear until the next season.
It's who we are.
It's in our names.
Our families.
Our stories.
Our bloodlines...
We come from the Ancestral Nri.
Where justice wasn't weakness.
Where peace was strength.
Where leaders earned respect by serving people
before serving themselves.
We come from the Igbo.
Builders.
Entrepreneurs.
Teachers.
People who believed every child should learn,
every voice should matter, and every family could build something greater.
We come from the Ancestral Ife.
The cradle of kings.
The birthplace of sacred artistry.
Where philosophy, craftsmanship, and civilization flourished.
Where beauty, wisdom, and leadership were shaped together.
We come from the Yoruba.
Philosophers.
Artists.
City builders.
Keepers of sacred wisdom, understanding that the divine could be known
through justice, nature, character, and community.
We come from the Akan.
People who taught that wisdom is worth more than gold,
and knew how to shape gold into something the world would never forget.
We come from the Ga.
People of the coast.
Masters of trade.
People who understood the sea
before others understood the map.
We come from the Kru.
Fearless navigators.
Shipbuilders.
People who looked at the ocean and saw opportunity
instead of fear.
We come from the Mandinka.
Scholars.
Musicians.
Leaders whose words carried as much weight
as their actions.
We come from the Wolof.
Communities built on hospitality.
On family.
On lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down.
We come from the Fulani.
Disciplined people.
Guardians of the land.
People who understood that caring for the earth
is caring for the future.
We come from the Fon.
Strong institutions.
Strong leadership.
Strong people who knew that freedom must be protected.
We come from the Mbundu.
Diplomats.
Farmers.
Builders of peace and prosperity.
We come from the Kongo.
Architects.
Metalworkers.
Kingdom builders.
People who shaped iron, stone, and spirit into civilizations.
We come from the Caddo.
Builders of great communities.
Skilled farmers.
Keepers of trade routes.
People who understood that the land is not inherited from our ancestors,
but entrusted to our descendants.
We come from the Seminole.
People who chose freedom over surrender.
Guardians of family.
Protectors of culture.
People who endured, adapted, and refused to disappear.
Then history carried us farther. Through violence and oppression...
We come from Portuguese, Spanish & European explorers who crossed oceans
and carried us away.
We come from the French who worked us to death to satisfy their sweet tooth.
We come from the British traditions of law and public institutions
that kept us in bondage even after freedom.
We come from Scottish engineering and pride of clan heritage
that tortured us into submission through abominable violence
We come from Irish storytelling, music, and the power of community
who became our overseers that monitored and tortured our bodies to this very day.
We endured the worst of you and became the best of you.
We didn't ask for it, it was forced on us.
In spite of it all,
We didn't lose ourselves.
We unified,
We grew.
We took knowledge.
We added our own.
We created something new.
That's why we innovate.
That's why we lead.
That's why we create culture instead of chasing it.
Because our bloodlines are complex, thousands of years deep.
So appreciate it.
Respect it.
Learn where it came from.
Give credit where it's due.
Celebrate with us.
Not instead of us.
Because admiration isn't ownership.
Influence isn't identity.
You can wear the style.
You can sing the songs.
You can cook the food.
You can study the history.
But heritage isn't something you borrow.
It's something you're born into, raised in, protected, and passed on.
Our ancestors built kingdoms
and brought down tribes.
Our families carried their legacy, the good and the bad.
This is our story.
Our roots.
Our bloodline.
Our culture.
And that's what makes us unique and
Why you can never be us.