I Am From

In my pluralism course, we composed poems entitled "I Am From". The activity, described by Beverly Daniel Tatum in her book, Can We Talk About Race? helps the author grasp his/her own culture. Reading our poems in class invited students and teacher to share our cultural stories. Essentially, the author begins each stanza with "I am from" and follows up with people, food, places, and the like. What is your "I Am From" poem?

Here is mine:

I am from board games and TV

Afternoons of homework, snacks, and

Mary Tyler Moore.

I am from day trips to the beach and Big Bear for snow.

I am from small yards and concrete fences,

Pomegranate and orange and peach and lemon trees.

I am from cranberry nut bread and Sees candy.

Monkey bread on Christmas morning.

I am from margarine and generic brands

and cream of tuna on toast.

I am from Friday night football, seeing dad at city hall,

and mom in the school library. I am from divorce, single parenthood,

making ends meet, and new beginnings.

I am from Alice Stebbins Wells—

who blazed the trail for female police officers

I am from Lew and Marian, Vera and Ray,

JoAnne and Walter.

I am from generations of slow but steady progress.