I’m not a Racist

April 25, 2007.

By Mshairi

I am not racist; I can assert to the highest degree
some of my best friends are black so how can I be?

I am not racist, non-white people fill my work place
yellow, red and of course, the black race

I am not racist; you must see this isn’t an attack
after all, my boyfriend is black

I am not racist but it really is just a question of reality
black people simply have a different mentality

I am not racist, I had just gotten on stage
was heckled, took it badly and went into a rage

I am not racist but why do blacks sometimes act so odd
why are they always so slipshod?

I am not racist, racism is a common malaise
and we are all racist in many ways

I am not racist, together with their sporting agility
I admire black people’s natural musical ability

I am not racist! I am not being nasty or even unkind
I am just outspoken and like to speak my mind

I am not a racialist; another word I’ve noticed
is that different from being a racist?

Mshairi is a London-based poet. She blogs freequently at www.mshairi.com/blogs

Please e-mail comments to comments@thenewblackmagazine.com