Thoughts on being an invisible and ignored scholar

We are here now
We are present in today
Our rich history is here now
Our humanity is evident in our everyday
Our greatness is not confined to the past
Our tomorrow do not hold a return to a greatness of the yesteryears
We are here now

The richness of our cultures are here now
The beauty of our skin
Of our hair
Of our clothes
Of our scholarships
Of our innovations
Of our beings
All are here now
Just as we were there then
Just as we will be there then
All in our glorious beauty that is regularly ignored
We are here now

So while some may ignore us
While some may want to explain us
Or explain us away
We cannot be implicit or complicit in our own undermining
We are here now and we have always been here
So let’s celebrate our fullness and our enoughness
While continuing to contribute and sharing of our stories through our scholarship.