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As Black History Month nears an end, a local poet wrote a poem to express feelings within the Black community.

Suffolk native Ricky Clemons has released another book of poems called “The Outer Space of God’s Love.” This book is 121 pages full of poems that describe God’s love for his people in different ways.

A notable poem can be found on page 69 titled “If Being Black is a Crime.” In this poem, Clemons explores the hypocrisy both in society and in the Bible of the color of someone’s skin making them a criminal.

“It’s about my opinion about what I see and about how many people view people of color as being criminals,” said Clemons. “I wanted to get people to think about and see the truth that not all Black people are criminals, and how many are successful here and in other countries.”

The poem points out how people of color in notable professions, including mayors, police officers, military, teachers and the current vice president. Clemons also notes how Blacks were also created in the image of God and are a part of the grace Jesus Christ offers for all people. He uses these points and more to drive home the point of people being more than their skin color.

The poem ends by circling back to the theme of the book with the final line, “Being Black is no crime to God, who doesn’t love any other race of people more than He loves us Black people.”

According to Clemons, he is continually writing poems for his numerous books. Since he keeps writing, he feels that his poems are well up to date, including this one he wrote for Black History Month.

“I believe this is a very timely book for people to read, and it gives them something to think about,” said Clemons.

Clemons loves writing prose poems about God, Jesus Christ, what he understands in the Bible and his own experiences and has since he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior in 1995. Some of his poems have been turned into gospel songs that have been played on the radio.

“The best way to write is from the heart,” said Clemons. “Poetry is not always easy to write. It’s a language that’s different from any other language, and a lot of people don’t understand poetry, but it has a good meaning to it.”

Clemons’ books can be found at Amazon. Check out his poem “If Being Black is a Crime” below.

If Being Black is a Crime

By Ricky Clemons

If being Black is a crime then God, Himself, committed a crime for creating Black men, women, boys and girls.

Many people believe that all Black people are criminals living among them day after day.

How can it be a crime to be Black when God has blessed many Black people to get a good education?

How can it be a crime to be Black when God has blessed many Black people to be great athletes?

How can it be a crime to be Black when we had a Black president?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there is a Black woman vice president?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black judges?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black doctors?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black surgeons?

God didn’t commit a crime when He created a Black man like me.

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black scientists?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black mayors?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black movie stars?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black police officers and chiefs of police?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black gymnasts?

No one can accuse God committed a crime for creating Black men, women, boys and girls in His image.

No one can arrest God for creating Black people. 

No one can handcuff God for creating Black people. 

No one can shoot God for creating Black people. 

No one can put a chokehold on God for creating Black people. 

No one can lock God up in jail for creating Black people. 

No one can give God a lifetime sentence for creating Black people. 

So how can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black preachers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black school teachers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black nurses?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black college professors?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black ballet dancers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black mechanics?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black social workers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black engineers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black millionaires and billionaires?

If being Black was a crime then God would only allow Black murderers to get the death penalty.

God, Himself, would make sure that white people see His wrath upon only Black murderers.

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black soldiers who fought in wars so that we can live our lives in freedom?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black senators speaking out for equality and justice for all people in this great nation?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black news journalists?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black chefs who can cook some of the best meals in this world?

How can it be a crime to be Black when many Black people are the best employees at their jobs?

God created wonderfully made Black people, just like He did every other race of people.

If being Black is a crime, then God would only judge Black people, but that is so not true of what God would do.

If being Black is a crime God would not allow even a dog to live with Black people.

If being Black is a crime, then God wouldn’t allow a white man or white woman to go to prison for committing a crime.

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black artists?

If being Black is a crime, then God would be an unjust God.

If being Black is a crime, then God would sentence every Black man, woman, boy and girl to burn in hell.

If being Black is a crime, then Jesus would have left Black people out of His saving grace.

Jesus would not have died for the sins of Black people.

If being Black is a crime, then Jesus will not take any Black person to heaven with Him when He comes back again.

If being Black is a crime, then why do Black people even exist?

God created Black people to exist in this old world.

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black military officers?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black real estate agents?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black-owned businesses?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black aircraft pilots?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black Christians?

If being Black is a crime, then God would only allow Black people to be locked up in prison. 

Being Black is no crime to God, even though it seems that being Black is a crime to many people of another race. 

They might look at Black people as being a threat to them, and not trust anyone who is Black.

If being Black is a crime, then God would have never created Black people to live in this world. 

If being Black is a crime, then God owes it to every Black man, woman, boy and girl to tell us why we are criminals. 

If being Black is a crime, then all of us Black people would be criminals in God’s eyesight.

If being Black is a crime, then God would allow the ignorance of other races of people to be the right thing to judge Black people every day.

Being Black is no crime to God, who can help our wounds of inequality, segregation, discrimination, injustice and oppression that’s been going on for hundreds of years. 

One day soon, Jesus Christ will come back again and put an end to all of this racism and racists will burn in hell.

Racism is a criminal to God every day. 

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black firefighters?

How can it be a crime to be Black when there are Black carpenters?

Being Black is no crime to God, but being Black is a crime to anyone who is prejudiced against Black people.

God didn’t commit a crime when He created Black people to live in this world.

We Black people are under the microscope of injustice that makes all of us look like we were born in this world to be only criminals.

If being Black is a crime, then God would not have allowed Black people to integrate with other cultures of people.

Being Black is no crime to God, who doesn’t love any other race of people more than He loves us Black people.