Students read and discussed Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem in class and as young minority students, some felt compelled to craft their own poem, giving voice to the injustices they see through the lens of a minority youth of today’s America. Today’s feature poem is by sophomore Jasmine Ramos….

Who Are “We the People”? 

Everyone has heard it before but who are “the people”?
Are they the happy people with the great family?
Are they the people who are making good money?
Are they the people who downgrade you for living on their street?
Are they the people with all the great lives,
With too little time to think about us, the other people?

By, “the people” what do they mean,
Is it they who speak on politics and have no time to give up for “the people” below,
who work just as hard as they but don’t get paid nearly as much
Are they part of “the people” you speak of?

But is this who we are, or is this who we want to become?
From the wise ones we once were, we are now showing the next generation how we’ve changed compared to those before.
It’s a downgrade of self-love.
From constant conversations about our looks, and how we act, we are proud people of color who only want to be as equal as you and be a part of “the people” you speak of

For we are no people, rather a minority to the eyes of society
for “the people” who are wanted are the ones who hold the wealth.
When “the people” you speak of, come into the capitol on a completely normal day and raid it horribly
and violently, the nerve you have to say, “it’s okay.”

Shame on you for letting this slip through, with no hesitation, they walked in from room to room,
but if it had been us, the other “people” what would you do?
Start shooting us down?
Maybe rubber rounds,
while we wait around,
no physical threats, just sounds,
maybe a pound or 2 on the door,
but we’d be beaten on the floor,
left with our drained dignity, we would have no more.

The days when we are pleading for equality, when we would peacefully walk the streets,
We’d get beaten and bashed mentally and emotionally for our so called “freedom of speech”.

Why should we roam with signs in our hands
just to fight for “the people” of color,
just to get pushed down time and time again,
What happened to America?
Is this really “the land of the free”?
For our “people” that is not the case
because in speaking freely for us, that lock has lost its key.

As “the people” we must unite, and come as one, not clash.
We must not take what we’ve got for granted,
rather give it a new dawn, shake hands and give up the bash
because it’s useless trash.
No more need for constant pain when we can change the world again,
better than before, we can rise and stand,
together as “we the people” for once.
It’s time to sync in unison as we once did before,
it starts with “the people”, never less, only more.