#JusticeForSonyaMassey

On July 6, a Black woman in Springfield, Illinois 

heard some noise around her house,

sounds that gave her cause for concern.

Seeking peace, she called police to determine

if a person was prowling on her property.

A sheriff’s deputy and his colleague arrived on the scene,

pulling up to her address to address her needs, 

or so it seemed.

She spoke to both officers outside in the beginning,

let them in, and walked to a pot on the stove in her kitchen.

The deputy expressed feeling threatened by this decision,

but there was no warrant to warrant his suspicion.

She then said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus”

in response to him assuming she had a violent mission.

Things escalated quick as hand moved to hip.

Suddenly, explicit expletives explode from his lips.

He barked orders with force that was neither appropriate nor proper.

She stopped her speech and dropped to her knees, but still, the cop shot her.

Killed in cold blood, the warmth left her body over a pot of hot water.

We lost one woman, who was both a mom and a daughter.

On TV, we see the grief of her kids and the sobs of her father.

Do you see where trusting that crooked cop got her?

No, I don’t place that label on all first responders.

I just don’t see why she had to die a martyr.

If these indecent executions have taught me anything,

it’s that unarmed only sounds like unharmed.

Fast-forward one week to July 13 of this year:

When a failed assassination wounded an ex-president’s ear,

people lent him theirs to hear his response to his crisis

and began proclaiming his name in public and private.

Yet when a sister gets slain over Jesus’s name,

y’all either victim-blame or y’all are quiet!

When you’re offered a justification for the crime, y’all buy it,

and that’s why this black brother refuses to be silent.

That’s why the two lips that shout in outrage from this tragedy

are the same tulips I use to give flowers to Her Majesty.

That’s why I’ll say “Rest in peace” to honor this queen’s passing,

and in the same breath, proclaim “Justice for Sonya Massey.”

Youngblood

Kendryk Youngblood is a fusion of spoken word artist and page poet. He is based in Houston, Texas. His YouTube Channel “Youngblood Poetry” has over 25 thousand subscribers and over 3 million total views. He is a Poet Life brand ambassador and a former member of University of Houston’s Poetry Slam team, UH Coogslam, which won 4th place in the Collegiate Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) in April of 2019.  Some of Kendryk’s written work has been published in Shards magazine, Defunkt magazine, and Poet’s Choice. He is a leader for the Christian creative organization known as Urban Hymnal.

JD Baez is a visual artist from Brooklyn whose work embodies the dualities of passion and resilience while connecting us all through the absence of words and noise. Married five years ago, JD adopted his wife’s four children, and together, they now have six kids. JD’s art is deeply influenced by his life experiences, from the early challenges he faced to his journey and dedication as a husband and father. His work has become a powerful narrative of shared human experiences, often focused on themes of family, love, and the perseverance in humanity, drawing viewers into narratives that reflect our collective lives. With a commitment to authenticity, he invites audiences to see beyond the canvas, connecting through emotions that feel as familiar as their own.