I don’t know you but I am you
A bell ringing out in a desert
So empty even sound doesn’t know where to go
A sundown so strong
Colors that don’t fit in have nowhere to go
We wail out into the desert
And they hear battle cries
We beg the sun to come back
And they hear threats of their demise
We drown in our own blood
And they hear ⎯
They give us slogans
And commercials
And sweatshirts
And 20% off discounts
And rainbow packaging
And black squares as profile pictures
And hashtags
And hashtags
And hashtags
When did my life become nothing but a hashtag
To beg for change
To beg for patronage
They give us peanuts
When we ask for the circus tent to be burned down
They give us laws 80 years too late
While they let us bleed out in a gurney in a hallway like a desert
So empty of feeling no one heard her make a sound
May was a wound breaking open to envelop us all
April was a knife dug in too deep
March was a funeral procession for those who lost breath
February was our time
To be treated just the same, but now
With an extra pat on the back for sticking it out for so long
January was a beginning that looked like every other ending
Punctuated with gun shots and smoke and bombshells and church choirs and dogs barking and whips cracking and waves slapping and
Mothers holding their children
Before they are taken
To new ships
To new nations
To new fields
To new projects
To new schools
To new jails
To new graves
June is when our blood and tears mingle in the dirt to make something new
This world will be something new
Whether they like it or not
You were found today
You were me
I was you
But I can still breathe
I can still breathe
I will breathe
For you
For Tyra Hunter: Inspired by Black America in June 2020, Memoriam by Sadia Hassan
About Raven Johnson
At 22, math maven Raven Johnson became a graduate student in the Computational and Applied Mathematics program at Claremont Graduate University. She has been tutoring students in math since 2017, working at Elite Prep, Upward Bound, and the Port of Los Angeles High School.
A 2018 graduate of Dartmouth College’s Mathematics program, Raven’s goal is to help thousands of students learn to love the subject that she has been passionate about since elementary school.
“My goal is to become a professor and researcher,” shares the LA native, who in her spare time can be found doing Poetry Slams.
In the wake of the George Floyd killing, Raven is passionate about bringing awareness about her experiences growing up black. Coming soon will be a poem that expresses her thoughts.
For now, scroll down to view Raven’s impressive bio.
Education
Claremont Graduate University
September 2019 — December 2020
Candidate for Master of Science in Computational and Applied Mathematics
Dartmouth College
September 2014 – June 2018
Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics
Experience
Elite Prep Torrance
Tutor, September 2018 – present
Instruct middle and high school students in general mathematics, including geometry, algebra,
and calculus; Preparing high school juniors and seniors for taking the math section of the SAT
Upward Bound Program at CSU Long Beach
Tutor, July 2018 – May 2019
Prepared high school students for taking their SATs as well as strengthening their ability and
understanding in mathematics, including geometry, algebra, and calculus
Port of Los Angeles High School
Teacher’s Aide, January – March 2017
Guided special needs and general education students in their coursework in mathematics, English, and chemistry
Skills & Interests
- Languages: English, Basic Spanish
- Technical: Microsoft Office, C++, R, Matlab
- Public speaking and performance:
- Epsilon Kappa Theta, Sorority (2016 – 2018) – Served as Social Chair
- Soul Scribes, spoken word group (2014 – 2018)