According to poets Kai Davis and Miriam Harris, too many Black men claim to stand for Black women when in actuality, they “uplift themselves and break women down in one fell swoop.”
At the 2015 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, the Button Poetry duo stood at their microphones and delivered a poignant and important message.
They make it clear that “there is a war being waged on all of us, yet Black women are still the enemy.”
“This mysogynistic manifesto given to us by masked men hiding behind the guise of ‘social justice.’ There’s a sea of strong Black men with coiled locks and calvary shells, shea butter soft hands who smile nice and call you queen, but never tell you that the title is conditional,” they recited.
“You can only maintain queen status if: you sleep with them. Get naked only if he’s watching. Don’t sleep with him. Love your body only if he liked it first. Wear your hair natural–but don’t have no nappy s—. Stay loyal. Don’t hold him to the same standard and never, ever bruise his ego.”
The duo continued to deliver more noteworthy snippets over a crowd of triumphant applause.
However, they didn’t end their poem until they elicited one of their most imperative messages yet:
“When you disrespect Black women, you cut your roots at the source. Hashtag, I’m still a queen without you. Hashtag, you ain’t s**t without me. Hashtag, stay woke!”
Be sure to watch the video for more “Stay Woke” realness.