SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

“Stand Up,” by Calvontre White

Stand Up

America, America a place that is unknown
like history there are secrets that
have never been told

Many have stood up for years, why don’t
we celebrate them, why don’t we give them
cheers

When we started Black Lives Matter
and people said they care, then tell us
why police brutality is still roaming in the
air

History starts now so why not
take a chance, because you can be
the person that finally took that STAND!


Calvontre White wrote “Stand Up” while a student at Leschi Elementary School, with WITS Writer Jeanine Walker. He performed this poem at SAL’s Journalism Series event with Van Jones on October 10, 2018.

Posted in Student WritingWriters in the Schools2018/19 Season