Saint John poet inspired by Black Lives Matter momentum

In gravelly bass-tones, Saint John poet, performer and playwright Clyde A. Wray, reads from one of his many recent compositions inspired by the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and the worldwide protest movement it has given rise to.

"This is not about political ideology/ it's about unification a coming together systematically/ it's about a system/ a system that isn't colour blind/ a system that's detrimental for my children and me," recited Wray during an episode of CBC New Brunswick's afternoon radio show Shift, with Vanessa Vander Valk.

Wray has been posting new poems that deal with Black Lives Matter themes daily on his Facebook page. That excerpt was from a poem called "Lives Matter."

It concludes: "no one should be saddled with a knee on their neck/face down/and made to suck in the filth on the street/or choked until they can only whisper "I can't breathe"/or subjugated as if a serf to a king"

Saint John poet shares poem he wrote to remember George Floyd

4 years ago

Duration 1:36

Saint John poet Clyde Wray shares an original poem he wrote inspired by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the worldwide protests it has given rise to.

Wray is obviously compelled to write, but said he doesn't think he has "something really profound," to add to the public discourse.

"What we need is not more words. What we need is action."

He feels the public protests are a necessary measure to force political change and a power shift.

"Nobody gives up power readily, do they?"

Wray said he's optimistic systemic racial discrimination may finally be brought to an end.

He's seen protests over violence against Black people before, but said this time seems different.

"This particular protest is diverse in ethnic groups. This particular protest has white, Black, Hispanic, Muslim -- every persuasion, they're there."

Several moments in the last few weeks have served to galvanize people across ethnic lines, said Wray. One that stood out for him was the toppling of an elderly man by an advancing riot squad in Buffalo.

"How do you walk by a man whose head is cracked, who's bleeding out the ear? And you just casually walk by? That could have been somebody's grandfather, somebody's father."

"All of a sudden, you say, 'You know, there's something wrong with that. There's something wrong with that'."

Wray is hopeful his children will have a better future.

"I think you have to believe in the goodness in people. I think it's there."

Wray is originally from New York and has been living in Saint John for about 20 years now.

He said he never encountered the racism he was warned to expect in the area. He speculated that could be because he is quite visible in the community as a performer and writer.

But little things mount up, he said.

"Like are you crossing the street when you see a Black man ? Why would you automatically think that I'm out here to do something to you?"

"My money is just as green as anybody else's, so why would you have your security personnel follow me in the store? You assume that I'm a thief? Is that correct? I don't think so."

Wray touches on these "little things" in a poem called "Where the Real Strength Is."

He also sees room for improvement in recognizing and reflecting the city's Black population.

He often writes in city cafes and one that he enjoys has a view of a wall of portraits of famous Saint Johners, none of whom are people of colour.

"I look at that and I get angry because I'm thinking, 'Wait a minute. Somebody in this city other than a white person has done something that's worth something.'"

The portraits began as a Saint John High School art project and are now a private collection owned by the Singh family. They were formerly displayed on the Thandi Restaurant building, but have recently been relocated to another building the family owns, on Union Street.

Holly Singh said there is room for two more portraits and she is very open to adding some ethnic diversity.

"Let's correct the smaller things," said Wray, "and those are the things that we can build on."