Artist Feature: Jeffrey D. Holman
"...the issues of social injustice in America today."
The following series of art and poetry is titled “FLAMES 4 A NUE REVOLUCION.” This body of work deals directly with the issues of social injustice in America today. Jeffrey D. Holman describes the series as “reflective of the mood of American inner cities, honest and often frightening.”
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THIS IS FOR
Kimanni Gray, Dusmane “Monti” Zongo, Ramarley Graham, Akai Gurley,
Rekia Boyd, Joel Acevado,
John Crawford, Ms. Kathryn Johnston (murdered by Police at age 92), Nicholas Hayward Jr., Sean Bell,
Oscar Grant (who was killed on a Subway platform in front of
hundreds of eye witnesses), James Brissette, Malcolm Ferguson,
Tamir Rice (murdered by Police at age 12), Riyanna Stanley Jones
(who was just 7), Eric Garner, Ezel Ford, Jaime Gonzalez, Darrien
Hunt, Roshad McIntosh, Ruben Garcia
Villapano, Yvette Smith,Anthony Baez, Patrick Derismond, Amadou
Diallo, Corey Harris, Jordan Baker, Kendric McDade, Timothy Rusasel,
Melissa Williams, Tarika Wilson, Dakota Bright-Sandra Bland–This is for….
And this…….
And this is for so many more that have been excuted by the Police.
This is for the families and friends who have lost their light-
This is for you
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PINK MAN (THINK MAN)
He’s in the shadows-
He’s in your head-
…………………………Sleepin’ with your ol’ lady –
…………………………messin’ up your bed
He’s somewhere in the grey
area of you past and present-
On that rock and roll shit-
Hatin’ on you because you are relevant –
You just don’t know it yet
……………….Got his taser pointed directly at your
…………soul got you thinking how did it all go wrong
……………..He’s got his finger on his Gloc ready to pop-pop-pop
It’s not a debatable decision – it’s a diabolical
shituation–
Somethin’ that you can’t pick and choose–
It’s what you’ve got to do–
Win or lose cause the winner still done
lost the game-man
Pink man – (you gotta think man)
He’s in the school system –
Changin’ all the rules you know
Pink man he’s on the news-
Whistlin’ to Pharell William’s “Happy”– Do we look happy
to you? He’s in the White House/take a drink man
……….Pink man -Think man
……..Killin’ black and tan communities –
……..Makin’ us allllllll feel blue where ever
……..he goes–
And you know who I’m talkin’ bout-
Think man-about the PINK MAN– everything he
touches turns to stone–
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COLOR of SKIN
In June of 2015 9 people were gunned down
inside of a Baptist church in South Carolina–
Days later the Confederate flag was taken away
only to further disguise the hatred of the
African American Indian Haitian Puerto Rican
China Man what ever man–
And the same week (or the following)
7 black churches were burned —
A young man was shot on his block with his baby
girl in his arms (this is not related but it’s
gang related) — Shot dead from a bullet to his head his
daughter survived, but how will she really,
when she’s still living in a world controlled by
sex and color?
A yellow Police man is railroaded because of his
brothers in blue — I am confident it was incompetence
that was the culprit here. He should’ve known he
couldn’t win it ain’t about justice–just the color
of your skin–
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Jeffrey Holman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1964. He is an activist and artist of many mediums. He has written, produced, directed, and performed in numerous stage plays and participated in several spoken word events throughout New York City and his poetry has been published in various online and print arts and culture publications. As an avid activist, Holman works in association with the National Action Network, The Color of Change, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the National Wildlife Federation.