#sisterscircle

Sigma Gamma Rho held a collective prayer for Sandra Bland last night.

Please listen to the audio and share with your network.

There is an alarm at the gate There is an alarm at the gate

I’m sorry, poor gatekeeper, I know it’s very late But I’ve got a message for you to deliver, and it just cannot wait

My sister died the other day while she was on her way to work A policeman stole her life from her and then put her in an orange shirt My baby brother died earlier this June His back got broken in a police car and he died a few days later in the afternoon My aunties and uncles passed away just the other day They were praying in God’s house until a terrorist blew them away

There is an alarm at the gate There is an alarm at the gate

Sorry, poor gatekeeper, for keeping you up so late But the message I have for you is still underway

My younger cousin was shot last year twice in the chest He was playing with a toy outside and his presence caused some unrest My friend’s brother’s father took a bullet to the head A man asked him for a key and he gave him a bottle instead My godmother Aura died while she was spending time at home   They say she was disturbing her neighbors but there was nobody else at home

There is an alarm at the gate There is an alarm at the gate

My family is dying They’re getting killed in every state If this is something that does not make you irate Stay with me a little longer, I’ve got plenty more to say

Institutional racism is alive and well and even more pristine
Even though everyone gets excited when we talk about how we achieved Martin’s dream
Our president is Black; some wealthy people are Black too
But our country still believes that we’re less human than you
They pillage our communities and help us dig our own graves
That’s why today’s criminals look just like yesterday’s slaves
We just became citizens a few decades ago, many people still cannot vote
                                                                                                             Anytime we raise our voices people pull the chords out our throats

We’re messing up their money; we’re turning their hair grey They tell us to ‘hold on just a little longer, it will all be over one day’ ‘Stop your whining, start your grinding’ ‘Quit your preaching, get to reaching’ ‘Stop selling drugs, start selling out thugs’ ‘Become part of our team: bring us all the water, food, and green’ ‘Now don’t mess this up for yourself, or we’ll take it all away’

Big brother, big brother, big brother sir Big sister, big sister, big sister dear

Wake the fuck up

Our people our dying, any of us could be next There is no such thing as buying your way out of this with cash, credit, or checks Your money is no good to them; they already have that Try selling your possessions…good luck with that Try telling them about all the good you did for them Defend your case with a PowerPoint with slides 1-10 Show them your past performances, show them the bottom line Tell them about how you left your family and loved ones all behind Give them a heart-wrenching tale about how much working for them means to you How being at their plantation has been a dream for you With all its bells and whistles, donuts with sprinkles And then give yourself a moment to process the reality that will make your forehead wrinkle Watch them roll their eyes and give you a sigh They might pat you on the head for giving it a good try But the first chance they get they will let you crash and burn Because your ancestors already paid their price, now it’s your turn

We are Black people in America, and there is an alarm at our gate We need to take action because there is a war underway It’s been brewing for some time now, like a case of PTSD Or ticking time bomb that will explode in 1…2…3

They own our homes; they own our time They control our money; but they cannot have our minds They cannot have our bodies; we are not for sale They will not have our dignity; this mission is not one we can afford to bail We must use our collective wisdom; we must leverage our tact  

As our narrative goes, if we truly want to achieve freedom, we must be willing to die for it