God's Grafitti Poem by Charles Monroe

I learned my history from Murals
These walls of hardened mud taught me more
Than the biased archives put together by the invaders.
There is a formula for Colonization-
Step 1 Establish a good first impression,
Enamor the indigenous with gifts of precious extravagant foolery,
Introduce a new technology that will gain you acceptance
among the soon to be colonized.
Step 2 slowly, gently, then, violently Erase religion, tradition, and language. Substitute the native tongue for foreign dialect. Destroy and make examples of the strong, rebellious patriots who may valiantly defend their Mother land.
Step 3 Plant your flag a top their temples. Establish foreign societal culture and class. Divide the population into various segregated groups. Create a pyramid in which you and your kind are on the top peak. The rest are ugly and unworthy of your equality.
This should lead to self hate from loss of identity and a new
Identity of inferiority should begin to spread among the indigenous natives. After this, Colonization is complete.
The inner city public school system never taught me that.
I learned it from the Public murals
that Rivera and Siqueiros painted.
And so I ignored the invaders' trickery of self-hatred
Instead of seeing my own skin as sin I embraced it.
So please let the invaders know that although their methods
Have been successful, there are flaws in their formula.
I learned my History from murals.

P.X