Kids Who Die – Langston Hughes

Dear Black Westchester
It’s been 77 years since civil rights activist and poet Langston Hughes wrote his chilling poem “Kids Who Die,” which illuminates the horrors of lynchings during the Jim Crow era. Now, as we approach the one year mark of the tragic police killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson uprising that sparked a growing movement, Hughes’ words painfully still ring true today.

Frank Chi, progressive media consultant, and Terrance Green, a filmmaker and strategist, have created a powerful video visualizing the injustice of current day police violence through Hughes’ poem. Inspired by the incredible acts of resistance that have taken place since August of last year, Terrance and Frank’s creative work confronts the reality of what it means to be Black in America.

August 9th is a big day for the movement and many of us will wrestle with the weight of it’s many meanings. While this Sunday represents a day of unconscionable tragedy, it also marks the re-birth of a powerful Black-led movement to end systemic racism that is poised to change the world.

Thanks and peace,
— Arisha, Rashad, Shani, Lyla and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team