Actress, model, and activist, Havana Chapman-Edwards first gained global attention in 2018 when she was the only student at her school who participated in the national walkout, protesting gun control. Now, she’s using her voice and platform to speak out against racism.
Currently, living in Germany with her family, having lived in six different countries around the world and having visited more than 30, Edwards has seen firsthand, on a global level, the reality of bias against black people.
Sitting down with her father, Edwards penned a poem that everyone should hear.
In case you missed it live, this is my poem I shared tonight. #kidlit4blacklives #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/9b2YwgChxT
— Havana Chapman-Edwards (@TheTinyDiplomat) June 4, 2020
We, the kids, need answers
My ancestors were kings and queens,
you know what I mean.
Then others sacrificed and died,
to allow us to have better lives.
No matter how hard the world tries to leave people like me behind,
we still rise.
Dreaming to be on top of the world,
wonderful time to be a girl.
Confident and strong while moving along,
this is where I belong.
Think of me
when you have the opportunity
to vote in your community.
Don’t try to stop me,
I have a dream that you can’t see
That keeps me flying free.
I have five questions for you:
Why do our teachers read books about enslavement, but not about black inventors, astronauts, scientists, dancers, pilots, diplomats and judges?
Why do I go to school each year without ever having a teacher who looks like me?
When do I go from cute to dangerous?
Why do our leaders only talk about Black Lives Matter when it is close to an election?
Why do I have to live with the fear that my brother and my dad might not make it home?
We, the kids, need answers.
If the future is in the hands of young people like Edwards, it seems like we may just have a shot at making it a better place after all.
