Walkin down the streets
Of
To the left, to the right
All these different people around me
Which got me thinkin
Is Chi-Town really now my home to be?
Cuz you see
I have all these cultural prejudice
I fear myself cuz
I don’t even know how I came to this
I fear robbers, dealers, rapists, and killers
Poppin up in allies, in crime alerts
To no one’s surprise 95% reported are black
Then I start to think
Damn those perpetrators
Fillin up statistics to prove it’s explicit
The problem of the city has a color.
And it’s black
Home is where the heart is
Damn, how did I come thinking this?
Home is where the heart is
Who can save a sick heart like this?
Most people won’t even admit
But they too have thought it:
Blacks from the South
Pollutin’ our City with violence
Givin’ us fame as the number one state
In highest number of murders in the U.S.A.
Browns are cheap, and yes, they do cheat
Doin’ American jobs all the way from
Managing Dunkin Donuts, Subways
Speak English, I can’t understand ya!
Yellows are all smart and nerdy
They always squinty cuz their eyes so chinky
Over-populating our suburbs cities
With extensive exclusivity
Latinos, all illegals
Ship ‘em back!
unless they good at mowing the lawn
or makin’ cheap clothes
Whites… (I had a harder time with this one)
Stupid blondes, stupid jocks
Privileged and unappreciative
Drunk hillbillies rednecks
Whites, yes, they’re the racists
STOP! That’s enough!
It’s time to reexamine
The roots of these misconceptions
Seeded in my home that manifests these perceptions
Home is where the heart is
My heart don’t wanna deal with this
Home is where the heart is
Shute, I don’t even know where my heart is!
You see, home ain’t a set location
It’s an environment we were raised up in
An environment that shapes our identity
Affects our thinking about our humanity
What we believe, how we perceive,
Why we act the way we do
It also shapes our attitudes
In an environment there are people
Parents, siblings, neighbors
Friends, teachers, pastors
Inspiring us, corrupting us
Into extraordinary or messed up people
In an environment there are spaces
Single houses with pools enclosed by fences
Lakefront Condos in Five Star High rises
Or trailer parks, cheap motels
Low-class apartments with cracked up stairwells
Temporary, packed-in, no room for luxury
What about…
Parks, schools with playgrounds and fields
Or gang infested lots, big guns, but no shields
Hmm…
Artopolus,
Or McDonald’s, Burger King,
Only a dollar per person
These places create spaces
That make the environment we’re raised up in
Home is where the heart is
My heart was safe, like the ones enclosed by fences
Home is where the heart is
My heart was free, to play in the park
Without a worry for gang-affiliated violence
I grew up in a suburb
A quiet place of comfort
My high school was pretty diverse
I had friends of all different colors
Yes, there were still divisions
Assorted degrees of animosity
Within the student body
But nothing like what I see in the City
One of the most diverse cities
The reason I came to UIC instead of
But it’s also one of the most segregated
Economically, racially
Extreme visibility
CTA transportation shows clear this city’s condition
Majority used by minorities
Charged even more for the City’s deficiencies
Further increasing economic inequality
Continuation, the history of segregation
This is Chi-City’s sick condition
Like the minds of many of its citizens
Stereotypes, prejudice
Never thought I was a racist
So why did I take in those deceptions?
Even unconsciously, unwillingly
Start believing them at times
When I came to the city
They popped up even more frequently in my mind
I can blame my environment
People, my parents
But ultimately…
Home is where the heart is
My heart, the seeds of these misconceptions
My heart, sickened with pride
Taking in lies
Constantly fed with non-sense information
My heart, stained by iniquity
This is the state of humanity
Home is where the heart is
Who can save a sick heart like this?
The answer is Jesus.
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