Written By: D. Collins 7/7/25
I know the names of some of the greatest to ever dawn black skin.
Dr. Charles Drew, Miles Davis, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin.
Generations from now their achievements will be overlooked.
Due to coordinated efforts to remove them from history books.
There were the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen.
Maya Angelou and descriptive writings of Toni Morrison.
We had Dr. Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali.
Who gave hope to a population of people like me.
We've endured the longest deprivation mankind has faced.
You cannot remove something that refuses to be erased.
We've heard broken promises that never came about.
The Caged Bird Still Sings loudly from the top of the mount.
Categories:
tuskegee, black african american, inspiration,
Form: Crown of Sonnets
While Italian girls were looking at shoes,
And German women were reading the news,
And checking to find some good movie reruns,
The Russian women were grabbing their guns.
And while Germany was losing its gains,
Rosie the Riveter was turning out planes.
While Hitler was saying "You've got to be White",
The Tuskegee Airmen were conducting a flight
And when Germany said, We are going to win,
American bombers were bombing Berlin.
Occasionally I write war poems as part of history.
This one was inspired by the Netflix series on WW2.
Categories:
tuskegee, war,
Form: Rhyme
Shoe Shine for a dime
What time is it
Nuclear drop bom
What time is it
sticky Tuskegee experiment
what time is it
trip through the fallopian tube
what time is it
laid horizontal in a wooden tomb
what time is it
Cabaret Cabaret
what time is it
up up and away Aquarius
what time is it
lighting is on the wall
Church clock bout to bar
ringing Bell all is well
what time is it
6/5/24
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2024
Categories:
tuskegee, allegory, analogy, destiny,
Form: Dramatic Verse
In shadows cast by history's pen,
A tale of strength begins again.
From fields of struggle, rises the song,
Black voices echoing, bold and strong.
Harriet's courage, a guiding light,
Through freedom's tunnels, a fearless flight.
In Rosa's stance, a seat reclaimed,
A bus, a symbol, injustice named.
Malcolm's words, a fire that roars,
By any means, equality soars.
Maya's verses, like wings unfurled,
Rise above, a poetic world.
From Martin's dream, a beacon gleams,
Unity embraced, shattered dreams.
Tuskegee skies, where pilots soared,
Breaking barriers, dreams restored.
Through history's maze, resilience shines
Categories:
tuskegee, 9th grade, black african
Form: Free verse
Beguiling as a cunning fox
Deleterious intent without stop
Empty promises of free healthcare
Great pain and suffering like a sick animal in its lair
Some saw it while many did not
Yes! This egregious, despicable plot
40 years of mal injections
Masterplan for biological domination
Evil eyes and crooked smiles
My, my! Those dreaded Tuskegee files
Categories:
tuskegee, abuse, betrayal, corruption, dark,
Form: Rhyme
World wars 1 and 2
The wars to end all wars
But for some, they couldn't fight for the country
Because of the color of their skin
They weren't wanted
Even though they could enlist
Segregation ran rampant
Treated like second class citizens
Not afforded the respect of soldiers
Or as men
Eugene Bullard
A pilot, not a just a ***** pilot
Not wanted by his country, he flew for France
Nicknamed "Black Swallow of Death"
He did for them what he couldn't do for us
Fight for a country
The Tuskegee Airman
The 99th pursuit squadron
First African American unit deployed
The best and the brightest
The red tailed angels
Spit Fire!
The 369th Harlem Hellfighters
Racism at its worst, Blacks wanted to fight
But turned away
But as with the Airmen
They too proved their courage under fire
The 761st Tank battalion
Patton's panthers
"Don't let your people down
Hell, don't let me down"
The point of the spear
Sgt Ruben Rogers, Medal of Honor
Fighting the war on 2 fronts
On the battlefield
And at home
No matter what was done
They still weren't wanted
(c)kingpen2021
Categories:
tuskegee, history, poetry,
Form: Free verse
If you look behind his story
there’s a woman you will find.
Not in the struggle for the glory
but with a duty on her mind.
Now meet The Women of Tuskegee.
Tuskegee Airmen they are named.
Lost within the clouds of time.
Not a movie to their fame.
They served in many places
were talented and smart.
Knowing of the great experiment
they played the backup part.
“What's this now? ‘Wild black gals flying!
Not in US Army planes!
Take your childhood Bessie Coleman dreams!
Are you crazy or insane?”
They toiled in splintered, darkened rooms
to heal the aching soul,
took dictation, typed, bulldozed fields
served in any needed role.
Doctors, nurses, captains few
servicewomen of all ranks
hands at work in World War II
This is said to give them thanks.
The men they backed took to the sky
great pilots that they were.
Name this airplane- Damselfly
for it belongs to her.
2/7/19
Tribute to the Women of Tuskegee/ African American History Month
Categories:
tuskegee, black african american, history,
Form: Quatrain
Dedicated to the Red Tails/Tuskegee Airmen
They said that this was all in err,
at governmental pleasure.
But you took on a challenged dare
cause flyboys dream in azure.
They said the colored man can’t use
the white machinery.
But your intelligence soon proved
this to be bigotry.
They said you just did not possess
a fighter pilot’s stature.
Trial and test could not suppress
your unsung dreams in azure.
They said you’d break and go half mad
in combat as a flier.
Yet glad to see RED were white lads
in bombers under fire.
They said that you were different.
"Have the coloreds for good measure."
Like all pilots, you bravely went
cause flyboys dream in azure.
2/20/18
Categories:
tuskegee, black african american, blue,
Form: Quatrain