Impacting Lives

2024 Impacting Lives: Poetic Performance by Sean Bowers

Through powerful poetry, Sean C. Bowers honors historical Black leaders, urges action against oppression, and calls on readers to exercise their right to vote. In this stirring tribute, he reminds us of the enduring struggle for equality and the impact of the Black community in shaping American democracy.

#BlackVoices #EmpowermentPoetry #VoteForJustice #AmericanDemocracy #SocialJustice #BlackLeadership #Inspiration

For ALL NJ&G Readers and Beyond Unable to Attend

John Brown’s Clock of the Heavens By W.E.B. Bu Bois

It is midnight pointing to the finger marks of the great clock in the sky.

How admirable is the symmetry of the heaven; how grand and beautiful!

Everything moves in sublime harmony in the government of God.

“WE ARE” IMPACTING LIVES POEM By Sean C. Bowers

WE ARE, leaning into and following our history’s freedom’s, NORTH STAR,

42nd Annual Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival

We Sojourn with Fredrick Douglass, and Harriet, all our lives, we carry it.

Ida Wells, William Wilburforce, Author Ashe, and PB Young,

Wrote, standing against evil with their lives, minds, fortunes, and tongue

WE ARE Lincoln, Grant, Madella, JFK, OBAMA, Biden and RFK,

WE ARE LBJ and MLK’s CIVIL RIGHT’S MARCHING AND OVERCOMING JIM CROW in their day

Fighters paved the way Jack Johnson, the Brown Bomber, the Sugar Ray’s through Tyson and Ali,

Starting and promoting peaceful worldwide movements like Clemente, Marley, and Ghandi

Russell, Jabbar, Walton, lead us to Shaq & Kobe, Labron, through Jorden,

Dr. J and DJ magically delivered the 10 commandments of God, through Moses

WE ARE Brenda Andrews and Leonard Colvin of the 124-year-old New Journal & Guide,

WE ARE here to represent BLACK LOVE authentically, on your side

These past 28 years writing for the Guide has been my greatest team honor and longest stint,

The BLACK PRESS birthed and helped heal me, with a heart splint

We are all King’s, Queen’s and we even brought the world our purple, PRINCE,

Sam Cooke, Donnie Hathaway, Arethea, Marvin, Mavis and Phoebe Snowed us all living Jimi’s Experience

WE ARE ALL our own NORTH STARS,

Creating Change Requires DEEP spiritual pockets

Forever BLACK sets the tone and the pace, in this place

BY Leading, at the head of the table, with grace

Yet again, Black saves me, and America, from going too far

To the rescue always raising our social moral consciousness’ bar

Please Join Me in a Moment of Silence for those at Charlottesville, The Jan 6th Insurrection, all those lost to gun violence, over-policing, and Covid-19.

ROW YOUR VOTE, ASHORE A SONG POEM By Sean C. Bowers

Michael, Row your boat,

Row your Vote, Ashore,

Your VOTE Squelch’s HATE’S toxic pyro spore,

Vote and BECOME your own “JUSTICE” hammer, THOR

Lean into your freedom’s core,

Assuring ALL American’s Right’s Endor

Creating equitable equality that None Remain banished to serve life-sentences from the floor,

Is only done, by clean sweeping OUT the Criminal Republican revolving MAGA door

Pregnant women’s own bodily RIGHTS, NEVER MAKES THEM A WHORE,

Vote, for MORE, for the NATION’S CONSTITUTION, TO WHICH AN OATH, WE ALL SWORE

Put your minds, hearts, souls, and backs to your Vote, OAR

Healing our humanities species’ empathic jeans, that the pathetic and apathic, tore

DON’T BRAGG TO ONLY FOR SOME TO “Make America Great Again,” STANDING still, a Status Quo Bore

Dare to Care to be Christian enough to others to “Keep Making America Better, Than Ever Before!”

White America, It won’t hurt to vote for a strong black woman,

Especially, when the ALTURNATIVE IS, “THE OMEN!”

LEAN INTO YOUR VOTE FOR OUR FIRST BLACK WOMAN, NORTH STAR,

Let freedom forever ring, as we sing,

WE ARE, WE CAN, WE WILL, WE ARE

Sean C. Bowers has written the last twenty-eight years for The New Journal and Guide, CHAMPIONING overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. More of his work can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website, on social media at Linkedin.com or by e-mail V1ZUAL1ZE@aol.com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda K. Andrews (NJ&G 38 years) has always been his publisher.