Richmond City Council
May 24, 2022

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I am fromfoundations built onyou can’t be good at thisand peeling painttrying to lean on support beamsthat aren’t really theremaybe this is my metaphoror maybe it’s my matchis a “place” with a roof too much toask for?I invested in security Giving it my allbut instead I got them staring at meode to silencehow are youyou making my life betterwhen all you do is sit there when others are taken away So I am fromAre you sure you know where you’re going?because i’m too smallI’m too womanI’m too chicanato possibly have a goal I am here to tell youI had to runbefore I learned to walkI can’t seem to rememberbut I only know the tastebecause it stayed in my mouthafter you told me to keep it closedI can’t seem to rememberbut I know the smellbecause that’s all the air I breathe now maybe my senses are gonebut I still seeI went to Richmond saw trash on the streetI saw a white man in a buildingand a brown woman on the concreteI said how is there representationwhen we still have to deal with gentrificationtake a trip with meI am from being doubted and looked atbecause I’m simply a body with no brainbut you can’t get me out of your headwhen I spit my truthI went to richmondI said ethnicitymore like ethnic citybecause the people from around hereare not to be forgotten so maybe I rememberedand YOU told me to forget .
tried to chase me out of the placeI found my hope inthe city I createdmy career inI am from land of ohloneSoil of i won’t be forgottenrepping VallejoBecause that’s where I took my first breathRepping the cityBecause that's when i learned about“Painting” over artThe walls covered in wordsAre now plain and almost forgottenExcept for the light silhouette of“Pride in community”Pride in community?Pride in getting rid of itPride in taking overPride in kicking my family out Pride in corporations
Your richesIs what caused my poverty.So the thick paintCaused my heavy mindAnd my loud tongue But our resilienceCaused my fist in the airAnd vocals of protestRichmond, rich-mind Mother earth and remediesLearning my rights andDeep breathingOde to-Our city , continuous healing.