"Playground Politics" by Aaliyah Henrie in Support of Stand With Minnesota
And we're back-
This week NNH is honored to present another piece from Aaliyah Henrie. When I first read Playground Politics, it was the repeated use of the word "before" that really stuck with me. It made the devastating effect of prejudice materialize in a way I hadn't really encountered before... And that's (without a doubt) because of the privilege afforded to me by my skin color.
Aaliyah's use of the word "before" sets up a dynamic that is different than cause and effect. Something more like prior-to-even-being-given-a-chance and effect. It's something Jeff McLaughlin also touched upon in his piece Unrealized. Seems painfully obvious, but children deserve more than what we are collectively offering them.
On a brighter note- It's also my absolute pleasure to announce that Aaliyah was also the recent recipient of the Artists as Witness grant - awarded to her by Forecast, a Minneapolis based non-profit arts organization. Brava. - M.A.
Playground Politics
By Aaliyah Henrie
They called me mulatto and more names not worth repeating
before I even knew what it meant.
Before I could spell “heritage”
or explain that identity
is not a fraction.
They called me an Oreo—
Black on the outside,
White on the inside—
as if identity could be split like a snack,
as if I was hiding something behind my own skin.
My little brother
had rocks thrown at him
on sidewalks that knew our steps
before they knew our names.
They said we were trouble—
and then blamed us
for the missing bike,
the stolen wallet,
the broken fence.
We were suspects
before we were children.
On the block,
we became the reason
for the adults’ whispers
and the kids’ silence.
We were too Black to blend in
and too mixed to belong.
At school,
I learned to disappear.
To sit at lunch alone,
to avoid the question,
“What are you?”
Not “Who are you?”
but what.
I watched friend groups form
like cliques on the playground,
like seating charts I didn’t get to vote on.
And I sat on the edge,
trying to smile enough,
speak clearly enough,
laugh quietly enough
to get invited.
I was a chameleon
in a world that only saw color.
And when I cried at home,
trying to untangle the hurt,
the confusion,
the loneliness,
they told me:
“Life isn’t fair.”
But it was always the people
life was most fair to
who said it the loudest.
Those who never had their family compared to criminals,
never had to choose which part of themselves
to dull down for safety.
Those who got to walk through the world
unquestioned.
I didn’t want to be special.
I wanted to be seen.
Not as a lesson.
Not as a label.
Just as a little girl
trying to understand the world
that hurt
and never said sorry.
Because of the crisis in Minnesota, families who were stable just weeks ago are staring at eviction notices. To address this crisis, we are ask you to donate to our matching fund and help keep families housed.
🧹🧺🪣 Refreshed the ABOUT page. Added some words, took out a few, and rearranged whatever was left. It felt good to see the evolution of where we started, to where we are today. I can't thank you enough for helping me get here.
Less getting lost in the algorithm, more wandering through art museums. (And if you live in the LA area, I can't recommend Monuments at MOCA Geffen enough.)
A call to action, commonly known by the initialism CTA, is a strategic marketing tool designed to spur an immediate response from an audience, guiding them toward a specific action.
A call to action, commonly known by the initialism CTA, is a strategic marketing tool designed to spur an immediate response from an audience, guiding them toward a specific action.
NNH began with the (perhaps naive) hope that it could be of service to folks who needed it. I wasn't exactly sure who that meant- Was it the potential readership? The Mutual Aid groups that would be featured in each post? Or other creative types (equally fed up with the constant "me at the center" paradigm required by our Tech Overlords) looking for a place to get weird and do some good.
SO, if you're out there- whomever you may be- Let me know. Leave a comment. Click a link. Tell a friend. Pitch an idea. Do anything to feel less alone in the world.
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