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Good Afternoon.
The name of the piece that I'm going to be saying is called, "Free of Boundaries."
I still hear screams for civility. Screams of panic at the thought of ebony and ivory.
Screams that lashes out and attacks my taste buds whenever I feel the need to feed their cries,
you see, fearing the unknown can create color lines. More destructive than Crayola in the hands
of a two year old, I'm talking land mines. Minds, minds that discourage me from stepping outside
of my comfort zone, so I stick to the music that keeps me below the radar, when really rock and indie
run within my [beatboxing] hip-hop. But you see an uncivil society has only subscribed my soundsystem
to a beat with a deep base line. Like a broke, broke, broken record that's attached to me forever
however I continue to play along and I know it's wrong but you see breaking down concrete boundaries
is sometimes scarier than breaking down collar bones. And I still hear screams, this time coming
from the side of a 3rd grade locker. Grace, merciful, Grace. Beautiful and elegant in her
motion, action, and manner awaits patiently for someone to resuscitate her life back from the lungs
of her bully. To her, education means little if the environment becomes a nightmare. Grace, merciful,
and forgiving is locked under the broken lunch table in the back of the lunch room.
For if they can't see me, they can't beat me. Screaming, if they can't beat me, they can't defeat
me, I hear screams for civility. Ready to unpave caged pavements that history has tried to lock.
I'm trying to abracadabra precedent cases so that I can hold hands with Taylor and swiftly walk with Tupac.
I'm trying to calm screams, that bleed the same color, but culture has convicted public as a place
that Grace and Civility can't be seen out eating together. So I ask you, "Should I continue to chase
chase pavements or should I just give up?" Or better yet, I'll pick up and build a community center with no
walls and say, "The sky is the limit, we won't need any walls, and we'll call it Civility Without Boundaries."
So feel free to add your own toppings, or better yet, feel free to help me make this civility thing
hot again. Mend the broken heart of diversity, so that Air Jordans can meet Sperry's and never have
to walk past one another without speaking. Oh, I don't think that they can hear me for, this is not
a poem, it's a public service announcement, announcing Civility Without Boundaries is a
personification of Grace. Because you see, Grace holds no limits. Grace doesn't acknowledge skin complexions.
Grace extends the hands of friendship, outside of kinship, outside of Facebook.
Civility is having the courage to address issues even if they are hard to talk about.
Well you see, pavements have been laid, where Grace should be. Somewhere between reality and free speech.
Civility does not start on TV, it ignites within you and me, at this community,
at the University of Tennessee.
Thank you.