Lisa Nichols delivers a spoken-word piece on Black history as personal and year-round, not confined to February. She names specific harms like lynching and firebombs alongside achievements in music, science, and invention, then calls for resilience and active leadership across all races.
Chapters
I have lived a life of promoting love for everyone. Why? Because the human spirit has no color. The human spirit is unbreakable, unshakable. The human spirit is simply asking for your command. What do I do? I believe that agape love is a colorless love. I do. I stand for that. And my black is at times unexplainable. It's always un. Undeniable. I look back at my black history and I see pride. I see pain. I see progress, persistency. I see patience, tenacity, and a whole lot of tolerance. I feel the unescapable pain in the pit of my stomach at times, while I also feel the swelling of the pride in the center of my chest. Look at her. Look at him. You go, girl. That's me. My black history includes lynching and legacies. My black history includes misery and some great music. My black history includes firebombs, Boom. And faith. Blind, unwavering, pray the heavens down. Faith. You pray for me, I pray for you. My black history includes sins and some good soul food. Demons and a good game of dominance. My black history ain't just black and white, it's colored. My black history is cinnamon, mocha, caramel, charcoal, midnight and light bright. My black history ain't just his story. My black history is hers too. Feels like they trying to repeat a thing or two. But we've come too far to moonwalk back this and there again, not happening. I'm more than entertaining. See, My black history is scientists and socialists and speakers and doctors and directors and lawyers and politicians and publishers and inventors and educators, authors and entrepreneurs. Don't put me in a box. Because I will always, always burst out and be free. Get your foot up off my damn neck. My black history isn't just for me. My black history is for the true. Get down. My sisters and brothers, Latin, Asian, Indian. All the black and all the brown see. Come bask in our history and find the real truth. Cause black history ain't for me. Black history is for you. A culture so rich and the legacy so great you can't ever expect it all to fit in just 28, no, no, no. My black history is Deliciously 365. I'm relevant in the month of February, yes, that's true. But come catch me in August I blow your mind then too. The blood that runs through my veins says power, perseverance, pride and possibility. And the thoughts that run through my head says what? Push harder, play smarter, pray longer, grow stronger, love deeper. Drop it like it's hot once. Okay. Drop it like it's hot twice Live life worthy of their sacrifice. Ah have a dream well if you do wake up, get up, show up and speak up Ah have a dream Am I still dreaming? His dream? Can you still be sleeping? His dream already came. It became your reality yes it did Ah have a dream well that was part one now what you gon do Cause in this dream we are now living out the dream. Part 2 My black isn't just for me. My black represents his get up and her get down. My Black stands for resiliency for all people, including black and brown. I won't be silenced and I'm not asking for permission. Nope, I'm not asking to be strong, brilliant and revered. Didn't you get the IG message, email, Snapchat or text. Resiliency is right here. I'm not trying to cause commotion, disruption or discord unless that's what I need to do. My Black From Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Ida B. Wells, to Malcolm, Dr. Martin, Ms. Davis, just to name a few, rises to the occasion to do what we need to do. We don't step into a room and check the temperature and adjust our thermostat where the room's energy, faith or joy is at. My Black steps into the room and we become the daggone thermostat. Sam.
