Without Sanctuary

no one wants to discuss the war
the war in america
on everyone black or brown
or poor

there’s no refuge from the war
so i live
without sanctuary
two-stepping back in time

with no place to hide from the war
the war in america
on everyone black or brown
or poor

so we’re here
without sanctuary
as white supremacists are exalted
in america
their mediocrity lifted high
like the flags of bigotry they wave
their mediocrity celebrated with dynamite
& hand grenades

all the while armored tanks &
harpoon missiles cruise for black heads

anybody feel what I feel?

the hate
in america
lingering in air like a ‘70s LA smog

as ghosts are whispering…

lynchings in america
lynchings in america
lynchings in america

anybody hear my cry?

lynchings in america
lynchings in america
lynchings in america

ghosts are whispering…

The words above are an excerpt from a poem I penned in 2010 in reflection on the renewed and continuous shift toward blatant racism following the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. So here we stand, eleven years later, still in war’s center, still without sanctuary.

Though predictable and expected, witnessing terrorists in action on January 6, 2021 was nonetheless hurtful. It was hurtful because even though the overwhelmingly realist part of me was not shocked, the optimist that lives in my heart hoped for a different reality. Hoped my realism was misplaced. Hoped there would be sanctuary.

At least now it is undeniable that protests in support of Black and Brown lives are met with inordinate police and military violence, while terrorist acts of white supremacists are handled gingerly. At least now it is indisputable that threats of white supremacists are greeted with under-policing and trust, and Black lives are continuously met with hyper-violence and death. At least the denial will end, won’t it.?.?.?

Though I stand without sanctuary, I am reminded to “never let anyone steal [my] joy”. Restated in the words of Sojourner Truth, “I will not allow the light of my life to be determined by the darkness around me”. In other words, oppressors win if we allow them to steal our joy or dim our lights. Our joy, our lights, are forms of resistance against the “war in america.” Through our soulful joy we garner energy to keep fighting for positive change. It is that inner joy, that light within me, that keeps me encouraged and energized to move forward despite darkness. That joy resides in my optimistic heart alongside God and hope. And it is that joy that I want to see in the eyes of our children and youth.

We must do all that we can, in every way that we can, to ensure their lives are protected, respected and kept at the center. It is up to us to provide them sanctuary, to provide them light, no matter how much darkness surrounds us.

But above all, despite the “war in america,” let’s love like our lives and theirs depend on it. They do.

Cheryl D.S. Walker, Esq.
Interim President and CEO
Deaconess Foundation

To read the rest of our January Newsletter, click here.