Imhotep Gary Byrd with Milton Allimadi. Photo: Hakim Mutlak [email protected]
The following are the remarks delivered by Imhotep Gary Byrd as the keynote speaker at The Black Star News Annual Excellence Awards Dinner December 18, 2015, at MIST Harlem, where Byrd was also an honoree.
TONITE /WE SEE YOUR FACES IN THE CROWD
BLACK STAR AWARDEES LOOKIN PROUD
THE STORIES OF HOW U BECAME U AND WHAT U DO
GIVE THE BLACK PRESS & THE BLACK STAR , A BIG JOB TO DO.
SINCE THE POSITIVE STORIES WE HEARD, ARE SO VERY FEW.
HIS STORY RUNNIN THRU OUR MINDS,
WITH IMAGES OF EVERY KIND.
COWBOYS & INDIANS,
WE ALL ROOTED FOR THEM TO WIN.
WARS WE WERE PROUD TO FIGHT,
BUT THEY NEVER DID TRY TO TREAT US RIGHT.
HAIR HAD TO BE LIKE THEIRS,
THIN NOSE BLUE EYES AND OH SO FAIR.
SCHOOL,WHERE THERE WAS NO BOOK,
WITH PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE YOU LOOK.
TIME & TIME AGAIN
THERE WAS A MEDIA THAT TRIED TO DO US IN.
BUT SURVIVE WE DID AND HERE WE ARE,
WE HAD TO COME FROM VERY FAR.
AND WITH WHAT WE FACE AND WITH EVERY RACIAL DISASTER,
IT BECOMES CLEARER AND CLEARER
WHY THE BLACK PRESS MATTERS.
NO OTHER PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
HAVE HAD THEIR FAMILIES STOLEN HURLED,
ACROSS THE LAND ALL OVER THE SEA,
THE BRANCHES OF OUR FAMILY TREE.
WE TOO HAVE A HOLO “COST”
AND MILLIONS STRONG WERE KILLED AND LOST.
THEY DIDN’T COME BY INVITATION,
THEY WERE BROUGHT HERE TO BUILD THE NATION.
WE SLAVED & WORKED THIS LAND,
IM TALKING ABOUT THE AFRICANS,
THE ONES THEIR SHIPS WENT OUT TO RAID,
THE ONES UNCLE SAM NEVER PAID,
NOW WE THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN,
ARE GENERATIONS OF LIVING UNDER THE GUN.
WE WATCH TODAY ON TV NEWS,
AS GROUPS OF CLEVELANDS BLUEBLOODED CREWS,
STORM OUT OF A POLICE STATION,
FIRE AT WILL WITH NO RETALIATION.
SHOOTING A COUPLES CAR, 137 TIMES,
AND YET IT IS FOUND THAT THEY COMMITTED
NO CRIME.
WITH HEARTS THAT HAD TO BE COLD AS ICE
TO DO WHAT THEY DID TO LITTLE TAMIR RICE.
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE RACISM MUST CEASE.NO JUSTICE,NO PEACE
WE HAD TO TAKE THE TECHNOLOGY TO THE STREETS
LETS LOOK BACK ,AT A HOST OF CRIMES
THAT HAVE BECOME PART OF OUR TIMES
A MAN DEAD IN HOWARD BEACH
MURDER BEYOND THE JURY’S REACH
A BOY KILLED IN BENSONHURST
BUT WAIT YOU HAVE NOT HEARD THE WORST
POLICE SHOOT A GRANDMOTHER DOWN!
YET JUDGES HAVE NO GUILTY FOUND.
AMADOU DIALLO IS SHOT 41 TIMES, BY A POLICE COMMOTION
YET ONE OF THE COPS, JUST GOT A NEW PROMOTION.
YEARS LATER THE MEDIA DEBATES US,
ABOUT THE CROOKED COPS WHO SHOW THEY HATE US.
THEY PRETEND THEY’RE WHITE AS SNOW
WHILE RAPING, KILLING AND DEALIN BLOW
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!
RACISM MUST CEASE !
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!
WE’ HAVE TO TAKE INFORMATION TO THE STREETS!
CENTRAL PARK AFTER DARK
A WOMAN BEATEN THEY SAY RAPED
A GROUP OF BLACK BOYS FRAMED
BECAUSE THE POLICE NEED A ‘SCAPE
DNA THE ULTIMATE TEST FAILS TO FIND A LINK
DIS JOGGER HAS NO MEMORY
AND THE CASE BEGINS TO STINK
SCOTTSBORO BOYS ALL OVER AGAIN
IS WHAT SOME PEOPLE SAY
D-12 SAID “TRIAL BY MEDIA”
THEY TRIED EM AND PUT EM AWAY!
PATRICIA MEALY’S NAME & IMAGE
WERE CAREFULLY COAKED AND HID,
DONALD TRUMP TOOK OUT A FULL PAGE AD
CALLED EM A “WOLF PACK”/ OH YES HE DID!
AND THEN ONE DAY A CELL MATE SAYS TO ANOTHER
HE DID THE CRIME AND NOT THESE IMPRISONED YOUNG BROTHERS
CONVICTED OF A CRIME THEY DID NOT TO DO
THE CENTRAL PARK CASE WAS NOT EVEN TRUE!
AND ALL THE TIME UNDER THE MAINSTREAM CHATTER
THE STORY WAS KEPT ALIVE CAUSE
THE BLACK PRESS MATTERS
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!
RACISM MUST CEASE!
WE SAY NO JUSTICE NO PEACE
WE NEED THE BLACK PRESS IN THE STREETS!
FROM FERGUSON MISSOURI & MICHAEL BROWN
TO FREDDIE GRAY AND A HUNG JURY TOWN
TO STATEN ISLAND AND A DEATH CHOKEHOLD
TO THE ERIC GARNER CASE & STORIES YET UNTOLD
ANDY COOPER SAID “WE HAVE TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER”
AND THE DANGER IS LURKING IN EVERY HOUR
WE NEED TO SUPPORT AND BUILD OUR OWN,
AND KNOW THAT NONE OF US, CAN JUST STAND ALONE.
THERE IS ANOTHER TRUTH THAT CANNOT BE DENIED,
THE COMMUNITY KILLINGS AND HOW MANY HAVE DIED.
WE HAVE TO STAND AND REFUSE TO SCATTER
AND SHOW WITH OUR UNITY THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER/
WE ALL SAW THE SAW THE BIAS AGAINST PRESIDENT OBAMA
THE LEVEL OF RACISM IN THE COVERAGE,THE DRAMA
ITS BEEN A DAILY RANT & MEDIA VENT
SOMETIMES ONLY THE BLACK PRESS SUPPORTED
THE 1ST BLACK PRESIDENT.
THE MEDIA EVEN HAS A PROBLEM BEING FAIR TO MICHELLE
CAUSE THEY KNOW THIS 1ST LADY WILL GIVE THEM HELL!
YET THE TRUTH BE TOLD, WHEN U LOOK AT THE SLATE
IF HE WAS NOT THE PRESIDENT/WHAT WAS THE COUNTRY’S FATE?
SO ABOVE THE NOISE AND THE STATIC & CLATTER,
WE HAVE COME TO SEE, THE BLACK PRESS MATTERS
SO THOUGH HE HAS HONORED US, TONTE,
WE HAVE TO SALUTE ONE OF THE TRUE SOLDIERS STRONG
AND THE TEAM HE PUT TOGETHER, TO FIGHT THE WRONGS.
MILTON ALLIMADI, THANK U FOR PAYING YOUR DUES
AND GIVING BACK GARVEY’S GIFT OF THE BLACK STAR NEWS
WRITTEN BY IMHOTEP GARY BYRD-COPYRIGHT 2015
ALLRIGHTS RESERVED Imhotep Gary Byrd.
