We Are Not Black Poem by Nsisong Bassey

We are not black,
we are brown
We are not the colour of tires,
Charcoal or bats
We are brown,
A million beautiful shades of same
We are not the black
Of blacklists, black sheep, blackmail
And black marias
We are the beautiful brown of
Toasted bread, corn cakes,
brown sugar
Honey
And dark chocolate
We are not colourless, evil,
Wicked or bedevilled
We are timeless, wholesome,
rich, fertile, resilient
rugged, eternal,
We are not what you say we are,
we are beautiful,
Despite our scars
and struggles
See us as we are
Not as you would have us be
We are not black,
We are brown.