[Applause]
truth is defined as the quality or state
of being truth and that which is true in
accordance with fact or reality a fact
or belief that is accepted as truth
awesome scholars like Friedrich
Nietzsche argue that there is no effect
only interpretation so in that spirit my
interpretation of everyone here today is
that we are all present in this space
and truth at this very moment someone
may be contemplating what it is that
they’ll cook or eat for dinner leader
someone else may be sitting among us
processing their day because for them
today was just simply a hard day and
someone else may be sitting here all
together daydreaming and it’s likely
that they’ll miss a few things I’m gonna
say and yet and still I’ll stand before
you for the next seven minutes or so and
speak to you with whole conviction that
we are all present in this space we
operate in our own truth we live our
lives by it and ironically it is through
these uniquely developed truths that we
also share one common world and my work
with young people whom I call my
children every young person I call my
child
I am constantly learning of the
differences in the truth that we each
hold but our realities in fact even if
only by interpretation are different
like my nephew for example as a
seven-year-old boy he was positively
excited by fire engines and police siren
the first time I felt him jump but true
joy and excitement in my arms at the
sight of the lights and the siren
this feeling of worry overcame me I was
worried but what I would say to him when
my truth met with his my child my
child’s eyes lit up broad daylight as he
watched incandescent red and blues
ripped through the summer afternoon I
wish she could understand because if he
could I would tell him one day you will
know them all too well never run out of
fear fight only when the war is worth
far more than the battle and stand
upright son never let them catch you
lurking in the shadows but instead
Aileen’s him over my arm I kissed him
until after and I tickled him into tears
as mine fell over this beautiful brown
face that would one day burden him what
do I tell him how do I tell him he was
born with a big blood-red target burned
in his back live rounds strapped to his
new soul cold trapped behind his
father’s inherent eyes statistically
either dead or in jail by age 25 how do
I tell my child how do I tell my child
to steer clear of the night there isn’t
any streetlight right enough to cast
halos over any man be him black or
balloon these angels can’t protect you
God let it not be his shoe soul turned
up in the street gunned down by those
intended Seagate keep this cannot be
God’s kingdom
that was guys or paints it with colors
combined and tuned it for royalty and in
turn we are be getting counterfeit kings
and queens right with me
villagers as we brave the wilds of
reality TV and mindless symphonies
teaching our babies how to dougie when
they can barely even read and now
rioting and looting is misconceived as
protests and prayer requests are these
prayer vigils our very best look my son
in the face and tell him he won’t be the
next Michael Brown black star gunned
down a grant just trying to get home it
was someone’s truth that’s that find
Clarke’s phone was a guy but there is no
excitement there is no fun my truth has
to meet with that of my son
just those two realities are enough to
provide an understanding for how
someone’s truth may impact the world but
understanding just simply implies an
awareness an awareness it’s just not
enough there is another conversation
that needs to take please their case
number two zero one zero why no one will
understand you but they will speak for
you they will speak for you from Beyond
Borders of bullet markers and beyond
cautions heap they will discuss your
feet and as untimely as it may seem they
will blame your sordid lifestyle as
evident by your baggy jeans brightly
colored kicks oversized hoodie they will
have expected that this would be your
end the sight of your body lying
lifeless in a vacant field this clinched
does not surprise them a death merely
conducive to a life that was being lived
they will find your body breaking the
Birmingham dawn only fingerprints and
stereotypes to go on ashes to ashes dust
to dust kicked up over your forehead
they will have notified your mother by
sunset the first 48 will come and go and
there will be no taking custody of
suspects their case number two zero one
zero
why had you known but you have stepped
from beneath the covering with which God
was gracing your home but would you have
still ironically kissed your mother and
told her to be home by Dawn the fur
jeans of a superstar gone wrong rap on
rigor mortis sets in on a stranger’s lon
clap on everybody saw his face he didn’t
even have the courtesy to put a mask on
no snitches bitches aren’t trying to get
stitched up they keep their lips zipped
up even after the casket is sealed shut
there is no loyalty in this birmingham
dusk i told you stop shooting down stars
illuminate your daydreams baby i know
that bright ideas come far and few
between here and they still shine did
someone stole your reduced gym memory
into words and line their case number
two zero one zero why no one will
understand you
they won’t speak for you over sprays of
bleeding hearts and imp use some flowers
clasp in hand hoping to give you back
just a little bit of your shine I just
wish this letter could it give you a
little more time but once we gain an
understanding of another’s truth
what do we do with it the next natural
space seems to move into tolerance but
the tolerate someone’s truth is simply
to allow it been allowing another’s
what if everyone today moves from a
space of understanding and tolerance but
into a space of acknowledgement and
recognition so acknowledge another’s
truth is to send a heartfelt
communication that their truth is not
just seen but it’s accepted as a fact
and recognition in and of itself is
action based I challenge everyone today
to move into a space where we hold our
truth but we carry others with us into a
space where we recognize ones operation
in their truth so that we can all share
the world just a little bit better [Applause]
truth is defined as the quality or state
of being truth and that which is true in
accordance with fact or reality a fact
or belief that is accepted as truth
awesome scholars like Friedrich
Nietzsche argue that there is no effect
only interpretation so in that spirit my
interpretation of everyone here today is
that we are all present in this space
and truth at this very moment someone
may be contemplating what it is that
they’ll cook or eat for dinner leader
someone else may be sitting among us
processing their day because for them
today was just simply a hard day and
someone else may be sitting here all
together daydreaming and it’s likely
that they’ll miss a few things I’m gonna
say and yet and still I’ll stand before
you for the next seven minutes or so and
speak to you with whole conviction that
we are all present in this space we
operate in our own truth we live our
lives by it and ironically it is through
these uniquely developed truths that we
also share one common world and my work
with young people whom I call my
children every young person I call my
child
I am constantly learning of the
differences in the truth that we each
hold but our realities in fact even if
only by interpretation are different
like my nephew for example as a
seven-year-old boy he was positively
excited by fire engines and police siren
the first time I felt him jump but true
joy and excitement in my arms at the
sight of the lights and the siren
this feeling of worry overcame me I was
worried but what I would say to him when
my truth met with his my child my
child’s eyes lit up broad daylight as he
watched incandescent red and blues
ripped through the summer afternoon I
wish she could understand because if he
could I would tell him one day you will
know them all too well never run out of
fear fight only when the war is worth
far more than the battle and stand
upright son never let them catch you
lurking in the shadows but instead
Aileen’s him over my arm I kissed him
until after and I tickled him into tears
as mine fell over this beautiful brown
face that would one day burden him what
do I tell him how do I tell him he was
born with a big blood-red target burned
in his back live rounds strapped to his
new soul cold trapped behind his
father’s inherent eyes statistically
either dead or in jail by age 25 how do
I tell my child how do I tell my child
to steer clear of the night there isn’t
any streetlight right enough to cast
halos over any man be him black or
balloon these angels can’t protect you
God let it not be his shoe soul turned
up in the street gunned down by those
intended Seagate keep this cannot be
God’s kingdom
that was guys or paints it with colors
combined and tuned it for royalty and in
turn we are be getting counterfeit kings
and queens right with me
villagers as we brave the wilds of
reality TV and mindless symphonies
teaching our babies how to dougie when
they can barely even read and now
rioting and looting is misconceived as
protests and prayer requests are these
prayer vigils our very best look my son
in the face and tell him he won’t be the
next Michael Brown black star gunned
down a grant just trying to get home it
was someone’s truth that’s that find
Clarke’s phone was a guy but there is no
excitement there is no fun my truth has
to meet with that of my son
just those two realities are enough to
provide an understanding for how
someone’s truth may impact the world but
understanding just simply implies an
awareness an awareness it’s just not
enough there is another conversation
that needs to take please their case
number two zero one zero why no one will
understand you but they will speak for
you they will speak for you from Beyond
Borders of bullet markers and beyond
cautions heap they will discuss your
feet and as untimely as it may seem they
will blame your sordid lifestyle as
evident by your baggy jeans brightly
colored kicks oversized hoodie they will
have expected that this would be your
end the sight of your body lying
lifeless in a vacant field this clinched
does not surprise them a death merely
conducive to a life that was being lived
they will find your body breaking the
Birmingham dawn only fingerprints and
stereotypes to go on ashes to ashes dust
to dust kicked up over your forehead
they will have notified your mother by
sunset the first 48 will come and go and
there will be no taking custody of
suspects their case number two zero one
zero
why had you known but you have stepped
from beneath the covering with which God
was gracing your home but would you have
still ironically kissed your mother and
told her to be home by Dawn the fur
jeans of a superstar gone wrong rap on
rigor mortis sets in on a stranger’s lon
clap on everybody saw his face he didn’t
even have the courtesy to put a mask on
no snitches bitches aren’t trying to get
stitched up they keep their lips zipped
up even after the casket is sealed shut
there is no loyalty in this birmingham
dusk i told you stop shooting down stars
illuminate your daydreams baby i know
that bright ideas come far and few
between here and they still shine did
someone stole your reduced gym memory
into words and line their case number
two zero one zero why no one will
understand you
they won’t speak for you over sprays of
bleeding hearts and imp use some flowers
clasp in hand hoping to give you back
just a little bit of your shine I just
wish this letter could it give you a
little more time but once we gain an
understanding of another’s truth
what do we do with it the next natural
space seems to move into tolerance but
the tolerate someone’s truth is simply
to allow it been allowing another’s
what if everyone today moves from a
space of understanding and tolerance but
into a space of acknowledgement and
recognition so acknowledge another’s
truth is to send a heartfelt
communication that their truth is not
just seen but it’s accepted as a fact
and recognition in and of itself is
action based I challenge everyone today
to move into a space where we hold our
truth but we carry others with us into a
space where we recognize ones operation
in their truth so that we can all share
the world just a little bit better [Applause]
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