SOC student pens poem to support Black Lives Matter

June 25, 2020
By Koby Davis

I was born and raised in Chicago. I am 21 and a rising senior majoring in Film and Digital Media with a minor in Criminal Justice. I’m not the most creatively gifted person, but this quarantine has been beneficial to how I can see and relate to the world. Writing started off as just a way to get my thoughts out and sort them, but the more I wrote, the more powerful the words became. 

I wrote "Reverse" to express my feelings about how much hate was created through the media's overcriminalization of Black people. Which is impossible - how can one group of people be inherently evil unless that is what they want you think? I want people to really challenge their belief system and their education because there are a lot of holes in history that were covered up to give a false sense of progress. When those uncomfortable conversations start, real progress begins. So Defund the Police, Cut ties with Aramark, Take CPD out of schools and BLACK LIVES MATTER.

My poem is available in Vocalizine, a non-profit magazine run by Black students. It captures our experiences through stories, poetry and artwork. It was created by Dorient Perry Tillman as a way to raise funds and awareness. The proceeds of the first issue, titled Sharing Black Stories Because Black Lives Matter, will be donated to The Okra Project, which seeks to address the global crisis of violence by providing resources and meals to Black Trans people worldwide. I got involved with the mag through my friend Taylor Thomas and there was a need for more Black Mxn and LGBTQ+ writers.