Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Alicia T. Crosby

Home
Progressive Christian
If I Should Die Before I’m Woke

If I Should Die Before I’m Woke

Last updated on: January 17, 2017 at 12:20 am by Alicia T. Crosby

If I Should Die Before I’m Woke 2017-01-17T00:20:17-04:00 Alicia T. Crosby

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If I should die before I’m woke, don’t sanitize my image

Lie my thoughts in state but leave me as I was, don’t scrub me clean
Wrestle with the things I said,
then amended,
then sured down on because I was growing and I sometimes changed my mind

If I should die before I’m woke,
tell my entire story
not just the parts that fit your image of me
Don’t erase my former self
Speak of the conservatism and religiosity in my youth
and of my tension with faith and empire in the same breath
Because before I loved peace, I justified violence
I can only accept justice or love as parts of my legacy
if my journey is held in tact
and I am rendered whole

If I should die before I’m woke and my personhood is whitewashed
Baptize me in rainbow hued waters, anoint me with ebony, coconut oil, and cocoa butter
Then ensure that all depictions of me are stained with Ruby Woo
Make it your business to paint me unapologetically Queer, Black, and Femme
because I found myself by accepting what others used to marginalize me

If I should die before I’m woke,
Cringe at my missteps
Rebuke my sense of callousness
Point to the places where I tried but still didn’t get it right
Because God is God and I am not
so I need my humanity to be upheld
Find ways to root me to the dust
for it’s in holding me accountable that you can see what work is left to do

Faith and Spirituality

Religion and Spirituality

Previous Post

December 31, 2016

My 2016 in Review

Next Post

January 21, 2017 Why You Won't See Me At A Women's March Today

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Devotions Faith Justice & Activism Musings My Thoughts Poetry Prayers Spirituality The Blog Things That Struck a Chord Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2020 June 2020 October 2019 July 2019 June 2019 March 2019 January 2019 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 October 2017 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many minor prophets are in the Old Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

16 14 10 12