T his month’s Justice + Arts selections have been curated by our Artist in Residence, Paine the Poet. His own poetry provides the highlighted writing for August, and his poem “Rough Childhoods” provides the theme. As depicted in the artistic selections below, Black youth often suffer the effects of America’s systemic racism—growing up in areas rife with poverty; lack of education, opportunities, and resources; and danger. Literally and metaphorically, dead end streets. The effects of these “Rough Childhoods” reverberate throughout these young peoples’ lives and their communities. Even as youth incarceration rates have fallen significantly nationwide (down 77% from 2000 to 2020), Black youth are still 2.3 times more likely to be arrested and 4.4 times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts. What part of the American Dream is this?
“Rough Childhoods” by Paine the Poet
The system doesn’t make special exceptions …for kids
rough childhoods
children without examples of what success really is
looking at their circumstances it’s clear … they were never expected to live…
Continue poem below
Photography
Shane Paul Neil
Shane Paul Neil is a photographer whose street photography and environmental portraits capture intimate moments and simple joys of people living their lives, even in rough circumstances.
See portfolio.
Music
Stevie Wonder, “Village Ghetto Land”
“Village Ghetto Land” was written by Stevie Wonder and Shatema Byrd and appears on Wonder’s 1976 Grammy Award-winning album, Songs in the Key of Life. The song is directed at out-of-touch, and presumably white, fellow citizens who look the other way or even disparage the poor.
Featured Poem
Paine the Poet
Paine the Poet (Kristofer Sykes) is in his second year as JusticeAid’s inaugural artist in residence. His lived experiences find searing expression in his spoken word performances of the poetry that became the spark of his creative journey. Read about Paine the Poet on Instagram.
Rough Childhoods
The system doesn’t make special exceptions …for kids
rough childhoods
children without examples of what success really is
looking at their circumstances it’s clear … they were never expected to live.
These kids were only names and pictures labeled wanted given warrants then they round’em all
up
throw them in the garbage with all the garbage what they would call us
locked up with lop sided laws that they call just
swearing its all for the country and what they call love
It gets tough, seeing that they’re from where they’re from, its believed they all have guns
its perceived they all sell drugs now no matter who they are they’re all called thugs
coming from where red-zoned areas separate whole neighborhoods so so-called normal society
will not come around them
Then they’re packed into prisons by the hundred thousands
and the now ghost like absence of fathers
leave those project homes feeling haunted houses
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