[Lyric] Zuris Letter to Mr. Howard (Ibi Aanu Zoboi)

Dear Mr. Oliver Otis Howard,

I wonder if when we name places
after important people, we've made them
immortal in some way. That their ghosts
can linger in corners and halls and dusty
dorm rooms to see me writing this letter
to some dead white man who probably could
never have imagined that I'd exist. Have you
heard of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Howard?
Or maybe you've heard about a slave revolt
that happened in a country called Haiti? Thesе are the
places that madе the people that made me. Those are
places that, in 1867, girls like me would not dream of being
in somewhere like your university. And this is why I want to
come to your school, Mr. Howard. There is more to learn
about my old, old self, and black and brown girls like me
from hoods all over this country want to
take over the world,
but there's something missing
in our history books the public schools give us.
At least that's what my papi says,
so he makes me read a lot, and that's where I found out
about the Mecca in this book called
Between the World and Me
and I'm thinking that I need to come here so I can gather
these wisdoms found in old, dusty books written by
wrinkled brown hands and gather them within the folds
of my wide skirt, tuck them into the pockets of my jeans,
and take them with me back home to sprinkle all over
Bushwick like rain showers, Mr. Howard.
Sincerely,
ZZ