Contest Winners (2025)

Poem by Samia Brooks

I am amazing, can’t you see?

When I look in the mirror, I see my pretty hair.

I am amazing because I can ride a bike fast!

I am amazing because I am learning to count.

I am amazing because someday I want to be a doctor

I am AMAZING because I am ME!

I am a Black Hero (by Nova Jones)

Nova Jones is a Black Hero who is beautiful, brilliant

and excellent!

Nova is Black and beautiful because of her amazing hair

and her amazing care.

Nova Jones is Black brilliance because she follows her dreams and she follows her 

highs and always tries to not follow her lows.

Nova Jones is Black excellence because

Although she is not perfect, she knows she is worth it!

Nova Jones is a beautiful, brilliant, excellent hero

Who makes me feel happy!

The Beauty Of Our Hair (by Chikamson (Stephanie) Ikejemba)

No matter what state you’re in,

you will always rise back up

Blowout, hot comb, waves, braids

your curls and kinks will always be beautiful

Every single one of you is essential because you are symbols

Aunties, grandmas, sisters, mamas

Darker skinned women would always want to choose you

Uncles, daddies, brothers, sons

Always thought those coils of yours were the one

People say you’re fragile

But I think you’re delicate

You’re amazing and beautiful

I would love to have your curls again

This is because no matter what state you’re in,

You will always rise back up

Braids: More Than We Think (by Feryal Al Kalaf)

Braids are more than twists of hair,

more than fingers weaving strands with care.

They are history, they are a song,

They are roots that have stayed strong.

They are seen as fashion and done by many

Who aren’t aware of the meaning and harmony.

Each plait holds stories, passed in hushed tones,

whispered by grandmothers in loving homes.

Cornrows mapping journeys deep,

patterns that promises dare to keep.

They speak of kingdoms, queens adorned,

warriors fierce, a people reborn.

Survival stitched in every braid,

through shackles, ships, and wars they stayed.

Braids are protest, braids are pride,

a crown that no one can divide.

Box, Fulani, twists that flow,

locs that tell the world we glow.

They’re kitchen chairs and mama’s lap,

coconut oil, the softest nap.

They’re beads that click, a joyful sound,

echoing strength, profound, unbound.

So when you see these braids, look twice,

see the art, the love, the sacrifice.

For they are more than just a style,

They are a legacy stretched mile by mile.

Poem by Lily Obeng

Black joy,

Ebony skin, like velvet smooth,

Glistening in the sun, in every groove,

One to another our skin is bright,

Hair is curly, smile shines like the light,

The glow of brown, the warmth of black,

Back to home where we belong,

A million shades, but one true song,

In color, we belong, and we are strong,

Through every stone, in every tone,

Black joy is the skin we’ve always known,

From coils tight as the midnight sky,

To waves that catch the wind as they fly,

Braids like rivers, winding and neat,

Afros that bloom, fierce and sweet.

Locs that twist in sacred grace,

Every strand, the right place,

Black hair, we wear you proud,

A crown that stands above the crowd,

Black hair, a legacy rich and rare,

A symbol of love, of pride, of care,

I am Black, and Black’s not just a color,

It’s a community, a bond like no other.

From every shade, to every voice,

In our unity, we all rejoice.

A Name Reborn (by Kapembwa Sichongo)

For the past 3 years, I’ve answered to a name

that doesn’t belong to me.

A simple, cute, little

nickname that made it easier

for people to address me.

A name that everyone thought belonged to

only me.

And over those 3 years it’s become almost second nature

for me to use it.

On my assignments,

at work, and at school.

Never once did I ever think that using a nickname

Would make me lose a piece of myself.

Would make me set out on this perilous journey

of self discovery.

Never did I think that it would make me second

guess who my father named me to be.

Would even make me guess my own individuality.

I’ve become a hypocrite, preaching about how proud

I am of my ethnicity and heritage, yet here I am unaware of

how I want people to convey me.

Everything that I do and say should shed light on those

who came before me.

Not fill me with dread when I hear my name.

So I’ll wear it without shame.

I want my name to be a proclamation

of the many generations

that set the foundation

and the stage for me stand here

and be an inspiration for my people.

When they call and we answer

I want there to be no doubt that we

are unashamed and will no longer

be nicknamed so that it’s easier.

So be proud

whether they can say it

or not.

As long as you allow yourself to

embrace who you are.

And who am I?

My name is Kapembwa Sichongo Jr.

And like a heart on my sleeve,

I’ll wear my name with dignity and

take on my responsibility to stand and

make it known not just who I am,

but who we are.

Poem by Jade Mendoza

Bessie Coleman,

The first Black woman to earn her pilot’s license

Participated in the first public flight by an African American

Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman pilot

On Labor day, September 3rd, 1922

The joy of being able to do something they never could before

The joy of proving what people of a different color can do

The joy of being the first African American pilot

The joy of being Bessie Coleman

The woman who inspired people today

The woman who has gone unrecognized

The woman that helped with people all over the world

She inspired Robert S. Abbott and more

The incredible woman

We all love

Bessie Coleman

Poem by Celene Mayberry

Black is strong,

Black is fair,

Black is smart,

Black is beautiful,

We all should care for black,

Black history is important,

Black is fashionable,

Black is peace,

Black is love,

Black can care. Black will care.

Black is colorful,

Black can live,

Black is wonderful,

Black is light,

Black is sassy,

Black is leadership,

Black sings,

Black dances,

Black is beautiful,

Black is life, Black is a captain, a singer , a person, a way of life.

Brown, black, coco, chocolate, are all shades of a beautiful color.

We are all people in this world