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1 See: sweet-tooth; AriZona Beverages
2 A Peruvian-American
3 Did you read the whole article?
4 In all ways but name, slavery still existed nearly 70 years later in 1930 when Hamer daily picked three times her weight in cotton. She was 13.
5 Crime is geographic. Why do people live where they live?
6 Is this the longest you’ve gone without inserting your voice?
7 Oppression is not a choice.
8 Approx. 240 minutes, or 14400 seconds.
9 See: Strange Fruit.
10 You have access to Google(dot)com.
11 Waiting isn’t listening.
12 What gives me the right?
13 Hamer was one of thousands of poor women of color to be sterilized without their knowledge or consent. This still happens today. This is violence.
14 Their names were Sandra Bland, Kindra Chapman, Joyce Curnell, Ralkina Jones & Raynette Turner.
15 What if you’d called those cops?
16 What if you hadn’t?
17 “2015 may be one of the safest years for law enforcement in a quarter century.” The Guardian.
18 The number of people killed by cops this year will surpass the number of American soldiers killed in any single year since 2003. This is also true of last year.
19 “Good cop” presupposes a baseline of annihilation.
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Samuel Stokley writes and lives in Minneapolis. He wants justice for Philando Castile.
This essay can also be viewed in the original PDF formatting.
Artwork by Damon Locks
6 comments
Nicole Moliere says:
Sep 13, 2016
Outstanding! Thank you for this piece.
Susan T says:
Sep 25, 2016
Brilliant! So proud to call you a friend! Thanks!
Dr Rosie Snajdr says:
Oct 18, 2016
Dear Samuel,
I loved your essay.
I would like to discuss this essay as a text on my creative non-fiction course during a week where we talk about creativity with form. I’d love to get in touch with you about that. I’d also love a picture of you, as all the other writers featured in the course have theirs on a slide. Be fantastic if you could get in touch on RSNAJDR[at]HOTMAIL.COM
Good wishes,
Rosie
Molly McCarty says:
Oct 29, 2016
I. Love. This.
k.e.k. says:
Sep 27, 2017
I don’t know how I missed this one before! Awesome piece. Inspiring form. Thanks.
Sunny J. Reed says:
Nov 21, 2017
Perfect. Inspiring. Thank you!