To Ferguson, From Punjab

by Divpreet Kaur

I stand with you, with my hands up
Me and my people
Keeping our chins up
Yeah, Us Sikhs
Us, the people, marginalized, to the side-KICKED
know a thing or two about police brutality
about false promises of equality.
We’ve seen,
we’re still counting
COUNTLESS young men shot down at point blank range in “fake encounters”.
Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Wives
standing up, screaming, demanding, in the face of the opponent, the looming danger.
We know a thing or two about being targeted for who we are
for proudly walking down the street with our unshorn hair
that the oppressors asked if they could touch
before putting a noose around our necks
as they called us snakes
and gunned us down
Yes, We stand with you
we know the people’s day will come
When Raj Karega Khalsa Aaki Rahe Na Koi, the world will hum.
‘cause you know what?
We know a thing or two about rising up
We know how to instill humility in the hearts of the power-drunk
We know how to crumble the lies in their foundation, to dust
that the only way they see out of it, is killing us.
Yet our history has us marching on
Yes, We know a thing or two about keeping our Fists Up.

– from Punjab, to Ferguson