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Redline Kid Feat. Deija Vinson, Mariama Whyte & Theresa May

from In Search Of The Land by Twelve Literary Arts Feat. Tall Black Guy

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about

Poet Deija Vinson was 19 years old when she wrote this poem in response to living in East Cleveland, a predominately Black suburb northeast of Cleveland. During an after-school workshop at Twelve Literary Arts, Deija learned about the practice of redlining - the discriminatory and unethical practice of denying financial services to American citizens based on race. Vinson's performance of this poem is haunting, but sweet. "You must recognize that you're a disturbance" are the opening lines to this poetic tour-de-force, punctuated by musicians Theresa May, Ray Angry, Daniel Crawford, Patrick Graney, and Tall Black Guy.

lyrics

You must recognize you’re a disturbance

Your presence presses the wealth out of cobblestones

You are a misplaced part
an abstract art in the way you move
like music owns you
because someone has to

Forgo your desire to sire Orkids from gravel
enough memorials litter lights
to call this a house a Home
let it guide you back.

you will never be lost here

follow this glass brick road,
collect enough shards
to call yourself whole

But hold your holes as secrets

Remember,
you are only as broken
as you pretend to be.

So pretend
that there is no need to leave
a Home made of hollow ground

why not stay here
out of the way
in comfortable consistence?

Minority is meant to be seen,
not heard.

or
only heard when their art is consumable
meant to melt on tongues like sugar
Like memories

You are a history
of loss
why not claim this as yours too

We bet you want to own something

and everyone here already knows your death song
been singing it to stars
since the first fell
since
you
fell

make these streets
celestial railroad
a grapevine straight to glory
meet glory
and flinch.

You are not worthy
of meeting eyes
so meet deadlines
miss deadlines
miss rent
miss home
miss faith
lose faith
lose yourself
call this a compromise
call this survival
call this: the preface to disappearing

OR

Just recognize that you are a disturbance
Feel your presence presses into cobblestones
You are a misplaced part
and We just want to find you
a Home.

credits

from In Search Of The Land, released June 19, 2021
Poetry written and performed by Deija Vinson
Produced and arranged by Tall Black Guy & Replife
Personnel: Bass, Daniel Crawford
Keyboards, Ray Angry
Drums, Dan Fernandez
Percussion, Patrick Duke Graney
Trumpet, Theresa May
Vocals, Mariama Whyte

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Twelve Literary Arts Cleveland, Ohio

Twelve Literary Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) literary arts and education organization founded by Executive Artistic Director Daniel Gray-Kontar in May 2016. Twelve Literary Arts provides literary arts instruction and leadership development to elementary and high school-aged youth, adult poets, writers, and storytellers. ... more

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