To Educate And Love Black Youth: A Southwest Rockford, IL Story

I was on the west side, on the southwest side of town in this picture. Southwesting it with Black youth, with Black truth for Black youth on the southwest side of Rockford, Illinois. With girls and boys, boys and girls from the west side.

Thanks to my good brother Antar Baker — and the role he had at Booker Washington Community Center — I rode over to the west side from the east side to teach, to reach, to encourage, to uplift, to empower these Black youth on the southwest side of Rockford, Illinois.

On the west side
of Rockford, Illinois
Black girls and boys
and their parents
see the police, precincts,
jails, too often. Black
girls and boys should
not have to see the police,
police lights, hard nights
on the west side, the south-
west side of Rockford, Illinois.
That someone terribly died on the
west side of Rockford, then
get scared and cry. Or
even be denied the same
kind of education or motivation
as the (white) youth who I
stay next to on the east side.

In the boys eyes I could see me. I could see me on the west side their age, moons ago, hoping to learn, eager to be creative, too. In the Black girls eyes I could see my nieces. My nieces from the west side of Rockford who dream, who smile, who imagine too.

Imagine what this does to you!

On the west side, the southwest side, I helped, they wrote. I instructed, they wrote. I inspired them to think creatively, poetically they wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

We discussed the movie Black Panther and Wakanda. I wish they had Wakanda in Rockford, In that small room they did have Wakanda in Rockford. On the west, the southwest side of Rockford. We penetrated thought, characters, a major Black movie in that room on the west, the southwest side of Rockford.

They are
the west side
the south side
of Rockford.

They are
the hopes
the dreams
the talented
the encouraged
on the west
side of Rockford.

We accomplished something major with flavor. I savior the children and the truth we can create on the west side, the southwest side of Rockford.

Christopher D. Sims a.k.a. UniverSouLove a.k.a. Christopher D. Sims

January 2nd, 2024