I AM: Spoken Word Piece by Eric Mata

"I Am" refers to the leaders of today who recognize the struggles of past leaders and victims whose shoulders we stand on. The muffled voices in the front portion are a metaphor to the oppressed voices of the past and present.

This video was played at the American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to set the tone for the event. We got Eric Mata to write a spoken word piece and a handful of student leaders on campus to bring it to life.

Thanks to Zirafa for the music (www.midnightparking.com)

Thanks to all the photographers who have captured these flashing moments. Although subliminal... they still burn into our memories.



I am

I am nothing less than

everyone whose shoulders

have carried the burden

of my future

and nothing more than

a possibility

yet it is possible

that I am potential

waiting to be birthed

into revolution

and I am restless inside

this womb

waiting to be born again

into everyone whose blood flows

through my existence

I am more than what stands before you

more than brown skin, dark hair and

college degree

more than olive complexion and almond eyes

I am more than son, daughter, brother, sister, friend

I am blood sweat tears

I am emmit till

I am tupac amaru

I am che Guevara

I am whiplash scars on broken backs

I am the shackles on the wrists of tortured souls

I am Auschwitz victim and survivor

I am broke neck ghosts searching for justice

I am ins target practice wading in rio grande dreams

I am underground dweller

avoiding gps spotlights

learning to navigate the matrix we call government

I am rage

and injustice is the machine

I am Juarez women gasping for truth

through six feet of desert sand and corruption

I am stonewall rioter

I am truth seeker

I am thought provoker

I am freedom fighter

I am the ghosts of Vincent Chin and James Byrd

I am refugee seeking refuge from inevitable death

I am immigrant seeking opportunity and

forced to work for less

I am revolutionary waiting for revolution to begin

I am guerilla poet spreading hope

on the street corners of dreams

i am a warrior with the spirit of crazy horse at my side

I am educator and story teller

I am cultural curator

I am resistance

I am mumia abu jamal and leonard peltier

I am martin luther king jr, cesar chavez, dolores huerta and rosa parks

I am forgotten soldiers exchanging lives for scholarships

I am hip hop

I am break beats and 16 bars

I am black thought, brown pride, yellow justice, and red freedom

I am night sky and mother earth

I am slave song

delivered on the wings of star-gazing winds

I am world trade survivor

I am underpaid overworked and tired

but I am perseverance and persistence

I am the rebirth of past into present

finding nourishment in

sunrays and moonshadows

I am yesterday redefined

and we are the evolution of today

into tomorrow

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Social
• Justice
• Awareness
• Multiculturalism
• Diversity
• Spoken
• Word
• AMSLC
• zirafa
• Empowerment
• Multicultural

[saturdaypunk]

That is so immensely badass.

[Manicmindofmrbrown]

great stuff well put together

[TangD130s]

chills!! this was beautiful!

[PoetryETrain]

Thanks, this has been added to our playlists here, and on facebook...

[mskool79]

I am...indeed

[novembertalespinner]

Such a powerful piece of written work!

[SpeakingTheTruthNow]

This was so dope! Put some next pieces together!

[annanimal6]

This was really good. It would be dope if there was no music. Let the poetry shine through. That's what makes it good.

[amirajadid]

that's what's UP!

[bsnewbill]

Thank you for sharing.  great job

[inspirationfolder]

THIS IS WAY TOO SIICK

so much respect

[geniethagod]

WOW SIMPLY INSPIRING!!!