Tyson Amir - Black boy poems: an account of black survival in America

I'm thankful and grateful for the opportunity to present this work to the world. It is truly an honor to be used as a conduit to carry forth the traditions of my people. I sincerely pray these words convey the truths of our story with a clarity that inspires us as we struggle on our path toward freedom. We will win!

It is said in my spiritual tradition that the one who doesn't thank others doesn't thank the creator. This project is only possible because of the contributions of many. It is only right that I take a few moments to acknowledge those who played a role in making this work a reality. The first thanks is to the creator. I must also give thanks to my mother and father for their love, guidance, and support. To my sister Kira who always encouraged me to pursue greatness. My nieces Indira and Olivia, I thank you both for your love. You inspire me to want to fight long and hard for our family, and to make you proud. And a very special thank you is for the woman who holds my heart. She's the Betty to my Malcolm and has supported me every step in this journey. Alia, there aren't enough words to express my deep sense of love and appreciation for who and what you are. Thank you. To my sister from another mister, Mya, you've been down since day one and are partly to blame for my career as a writer. To sister Nora who completed the first edit of this work, thank you for your mind, eye, and belief in this project.

To our ancestors whose shoulders we stand upon. Thank you for your sacrifices, we have been made better by what you've left for us. To my people, thank you for being your black beautiful selves. We are a people that have experienced some of the worst of what humankind is capable of, but it is our strength, resilience and resolve that has allowed us to remain and continue to fight. I am in awe of our people's fight for survival. It is that very fight that is present in these pages. I thank you all for daring to be beautiful and daring to live in the face of ugly hate.

To my family, my grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins, I love and thank y'all. You've put up with my crazy militant behind all my life. It's your love and support that has nourished me throughout these years. And now to the homies, Jay Walker, Agin, Ise, Anas, Lloyd, Big B. Jake & Vanessa, B.J. Dooley, Oscar, KP, Chris, Jose, Noel, Prime, Istock, Soul Glo Fam, Jake Mason, Q, Shawn Green, Dre the 6th member of NE, illTrax, Rid, Mik, Ishaq, Kumasi, Erik Rico, Stevie, March, Marlon, Uthman, Mike, Kamilah, Vanessa, Kai-Ti, White Jake, Adisa, Khalil, Amir, Lil Anas, Saeed, Blue, Remarkable Current Fam, Midnight Basketball Fam, San Quentin Fam, the brothers on the yard, San Bruno and CJ 5 folks, my 5 Keys colleagues, Football Fam, Sylvandale, Leyva and Piedmont Fam, The Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition, and all community groups organizing for the survival of our people. I can't forget the sisters, Big sis Phelicia, Ayoola, Nyimah, JoJo, Shana, Dahlia, Sabeen, Kamilah, INVST, Stella, Pam McCali, Mother Cristina, Kelli, Tanesha, Hana, and Fatima. Thank you for the love and support.

To my teachers, Malik, Fred McCoy, Jeff Heard, Mrs. Malcolm, Ms. Munson, Prof. Rycenga, Dr. Harris, Imam Zaid, Imam Shuaibe, Imam Anwar Muhaimin, Sidi Yassir, Shaykh Alaeddin, Shaykh Hamza, Shaykh Abdullah Ali, Br. Siddique Abdullah, 850 Sinbad, San Jose, The Bay Area, and Cali. I'm indebted to you all for your knowledge, wisdom, examples, and guidance. Thank you.

To Sista Elaine Brown and the brothers and sisters who are alumni of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and other political movements of the 60s and 70s. I thank you all for your sacrifices, dedication, and bravery. It was not in vain. That spirit of struggle has taken root in your offspring. We will carry it forward.

A sincere thank you to the team at Self-Publishing Services LLC. I've learned a lot through this process and your work has brought this from vision to reality. A quick thank you to the folks at Brown Sugar Kitchen, Arizmendi on San Pablo, Cosecha, Sukho Thai, Grato Burgers and Los Cantaros Taqueria for the nourishment. And to the Vitamin String Quartet and their renditions of Tupac's Dear Mamma and To Live and Die in L.A. I wrote most of the book to those songs.

Lastly, I want to thank all those who granted me permission to use their material in this book. Special thanks to the Amaru estate, Lorne Cress Love, Tommie and Delois Smith, Equal Justice Initiative, Dr. Kapperler, Brooks Permissions, Faith Childs Literary Agency, the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Penguin Random House, Ron Hussey at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Richard Hazboun at Pathfinder Press, and everybody else who was kind enough to allow me access to their material for this text. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

And thank you for taking the time to read this book.