an open letter to mr. mandela

Dear Mr. Mandela. 

I hate the term Mister. I tend to call people by their first name. I hate hierarchy.

I’m more on that individuality tip.

….But, I’ll call you  Mister.

When I was 10 years old, Sundays were devoted to pretending to be in the WWE and watching my favourite Sunday morning TV Show, Switchback.  

There was this one day - February 11th. 1988.

Switchback was cancelled due to breaking news.

You got out of jail.

I starred at the television wondering why you were more important than  my constant. 

Why did you matter more than Switchback?

Slowly, I was loosing my innocence of what the world was like. I started to ask questions. I started to question race, and that word. 

Hierarchy. 

.Because of you, I got into learning about the life and times of Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X, and Maya Angelow.

And even JFK.

 I wanted to know more about the civil rights movement. Black History. Politics.

I wanted to know more about the World. 

My eyes opened. 

Meanwhile, my cousin was introducing me to Hip Hop.. Not the regular top 40 stuff that was being played on CFTR, but the conscience stuff.

Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions. NWA.

They were rapping about whatt I was reading and what I was feeling. And thinking. 

Martin, Malcolm, Maya, Kennedy, Chuck D, KRS. They taught me about race. And equality And freedom. Exactly what you were fighting for.

Today, I have a poster of Malcolm X that hangs on my wall. Every morning, I look at it, and funny enough, when I look at it, I don’t think about Malcolm. I think of you. Because it was you who made me know Malcolm. 

 To put it simply, You changed my life.

Martin, Mlalcolm are life time heroes who i pattern my life after. Hip Hop has helped shape me into the man I am today.

And it was all because of You.

This letter is to say Thank You, Mr. Mandela. 

I don’t use that word Mister very often, but in this case, I think it’s fitting.

You so deserve more than a Mister tittle. 

Hero?

Inspiration?

God?

Something else rather then just measly Mister..

 Be it as it may,

Thanks. 

You did good. Now, it’s time to sleep.

Rest well.