Our friend Derrick attends every sewing circle at FAME—moving boxes in and out of storage, setting up and breaking down work stations, carting heavy bags of kits and materials. (He's also our resident expert on placing snaps on shields.) We just can't appreciate him enough! Discover another side of this versatile man when Derrick "The Poet" Charleston performs at Festival Sundiata 2018 on Sunday, June 17th, from 2-3 pm., on the UAE Tent Fisher Roof. Go Derrick!
Here's a 2017 poem Derrick wrote in honor of the Sewing Circle—and what an honor it is.
RAISIN’ IN THE SUN
By Derrick “The Poet” Charleston
Sisters of sewing and a few good men
Come together on 4thSaturdayzz as friends
Where unique bonds are formed
Ironing boards, steam flowing,
Sewing machines…pedals to the metal
Fabric rolling, needles moving up and down
Surround sound
Conversations going down
Different races, genders, religions getting along
The bond is getting strong
The matters at hand
When the little can’t go to school
Because of menstruation
U see, it slows their education
Lowers their self-esteem
Which they are going through a lot anyway
Well, here come the Sisters of Sewing to save the day
With the handmade sanitary kits
To get through…period
Those who went to Cameroon
Telling stories of feeling the spirits
Of our history, our pedigree
Slaver, 200 to 300 ships
Known to have sailed from Cameroon shores
To American doors
In the land of Cameroon, the spiritual pain
Of suffering our ancestors went through
Something is still going on today
Continue to pray
For we shed many tears of others
Some of our own to make us strong
For all the things the little girls go through
Now they have a sense of pride…thanks to all of you
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