Poetry Poetry Poetry: I AM HERE TO READ FOR THE PART

 

On December 31st 2013 we lost the great actor James Avery.

Mr. Avery was known in Sci-Fi circles as the voice of Shredder on the cartoon Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles.
    To the rest of us he will always be "OUR UNCLE PHIL" from Fresh Prince of bel-Air.

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On January 1st 2014. I Penned this poem.
On January 1st 2021. I recorded this presentation.

I hope that somewhere Mr. Avery and my own father would be proud of my effort and intention.
I hope that some day Mr. Poitier and Mr. Amos may see this and know they inspire me to be great and create great opportunity for my people.

For James Avery (and for Mr. Portier and Mr. Amos)

Hello...Yes I am Here to Read For The Part

I would like to audition for everything

That Is Not

The Minstrel Show....

I will not be reading for the part of the colorful but intelligent street pimp

I will not be doing lines from the street wise hustler that snitches to the private detective

I will not be reprising the roles of happy slaves

dead beat dads

high school drop outs

or any other cartoons

in Black face today

 

I'm not here to count lines

I am not here to count the minutes my character appears on screen

I am not interested in being a part of the hottest reality show on television

 

I am here to

be iconic

I am here to

inspire generations here and now

I am here

to inspire generations yet to come

I am here

to read for the role of Black Man

 

Yes the traffic on the way here to the audition was crazy

I must have passed 20 many rap videos directors directing teen aged girls to pregnancy on the way here

I must have passed 20 actors from Juilliard playing crack heads on the way here

thankfully I did pass some actors who took roles that I am not here to read for

but they refused to play the roles as sorry black men

in black face

they added tears and back story and experience to the role of gang banger number 3

I am here to read for Othello

I am here to read for Paul Robeson

and when I'm done

Black Men will want to be actors and artists and not get their brains bashed in

on a PLANTATION called A FIELD

so they can wear loud suits and start fragmented families

or at least when they sign a pro contract

they will want to be able to give an articulate interview on ESPN

and do more with their money than invest in jewelry and cars with chrome rims

I am here to read for the role

of the black man that loves his wife and family

and the black man that fights to keep his family

teaches his son

embraces his daughter

and when the TV goes off

Men all across the country

across all different racial lines

will value those father-son games of chess

and those daddy daughter dances just a little more

Thank you for the opportunity

to read for this part

I believe in the power of this role

I believe we will change somethings with what we will do here today

Okay....here's my reading....

 

"I sat and thought about what it means to be a black man in the 21st century...

I thought I knew when I graduated college and got my law degree.

Then I married Vivian and I promised her father...

I promised him

I would make the best life I could for his daughter...

Since that time we have both learned so much about ...

being husband and wife....

Now I am about to go through that door

and meet my daughter...for the first time....

and I think for everything I think I know about being a Black Man....

the good of it

the bad of it...

I have a feeling that I am about to re write so much of what I thought before today.

I've got love...

I pray that everything else my family needs

will come with time

and in time."

 

Thank again for the opportunity

to read for this part

I've got to run now

I have a poetry workshop to teach with some great kids

from my home town