capital B, as in Black
i. dr. p
i ain’t neva
eva, eva
had a black teacher in my life
til a sophomore in college
and don’t let them be woman
i ain’t neva
eva, eva
took a black course in my life
til taking african american literature
and don’t let a black woman teach
i ain’t neva
eva, eva
heard of toni morrison in my life
now i write because of her
and don’t let me keep writing
yes— toni morrison
natasha trethewey
maya angelou
and dr. p
taught me that blackness exists
in stories and in poems and therefore, in me.
ann petry
zora hurston
phillis wheatley
and dr. p
taught me to capitalize
Black
just like days
and names
and places
just like Dr. P
so— i neva
eva, eva went back
to not capitalizing
Black
ii. capital
i capitalize Black.
because a noun so proper
deserves such.
because i capitalize
white america and its states
white names and their place
in white schools and white books
full of white history and what it took
to make white months and white days
and the Black one with only twenty-eight.
because my ancestors never
learned how to read these white books
or write in this white language
but enslaved by white preaching.
because my Jesus
and your Jesus
is, in fact, Black.
because your favorite rapper
or thug
your favorite athlete
or kaepernick
your best friend
or nigga
might mean something to you
or someone to you
on a good day.
because grammar never
made the rules for
people, whiteness just
made the rules
for everybody else.
because I AM.
so, i capitalize Black.
Jas Jefferies is a current masters student in the USC Rossier School of Education. Her love for poetry and spoken word started at the age of 11 in her Communications Arts class. Now she writes the voices for women of color, suicide awareness, love and faith. She has a love for music, friendship, and lemonade.