Once more shouting into the void this time I will be doing my own selection I am the very model of an African-American
I am the very model of a modern African-American,
I've mastered history, culture, science, arts, and all the rest of them.
I know the kings of Africa, from Mansa Musa to Sundiata,
And quote the Harlem Renaissance from Hughes to Zora Neale Hurston's data.
I'm versed in jazz and hip-hop, from Coltrane's sax to Kendrick's lyricism,
I celebrate the Great Migration and the fight against racism.
I champion Second Amendment rights, for self-defense is foundational,
Knowing gun control's racist roots from Jim Crow to the presentational.
I am the very model of a modern African-American!
I am the very model of a modern African-American!
From urban to suburban, I navigate with pride and dignity,
I counter stereotypes with grace, success, and pure ability.
I praise the strength of family ties that carried us through slavery,
And honor civil rights icons who marched for equality.
I'll school you on the Black Codes that disarmed the newly freedmen,
How Ida B. Wells warned us all of lynching without defense then.
I know the stats on violent crime in neighborhoods disarmed by law,
I'll cite them while upholding rights that shield us from the claw.
He'll cite them while upholding rights that shield us from the claw!
He'll cite them while upholding rights that shield us from the claw!
He'll cite them while uphold-uphold-ing rights that shield us from the claw!
My heroes range from Frederick Douglass to Thomas Sowell the sage,
I celebrate the entrepreneur who rises despite the rage.
In science I'm inspired by Carver, Drew, and Katherine Johnson too,
Their brilliance broke the barriers that society once knew.
I've studied every era from Reconstruction to Obama,
I've memorized the speeches of Dr. King and Malcolm X.
I stand for opportunity and personal responsibility,
Yet honor every soul who fights for true equality.
He honors every soul who fights for true equality!
He honors every soul who fights for true equality!
He honors every soul who fights for true equa-equa-lity!
When I recount the stories of the Underground Railroad's bravery,
When I defend the legacy of Black Wall Street's lost prosperity,
When I expose the Mulford Act and Reagan's disarmament ploy,
When gun laws targeted Panthers while the Klan was overjoyed.
When I recall the Deacons for Defense who armed against the terror,
When Black veterans came home but faced the same old error,
In short, when I've a smattering of historical strategy,
You'll say a prouder African-American has never sat a' thee!
You'll say a prouder African-American has never sat a' thee!
You'll say a prouder African-American has never sat a' thee!
You'll say a prouder African-American has never sat a' thee!
Though some may try to box me in with narrow expectation,
And claim my stance on rights reflects some form of deviation.
I've studied every heritage from Yoruba to Gullah Geechee,
I am the very model of a modern African-American!
He's studied every heritage from Yoruba to Gullah Geechee!
He is the very model of a modern African-American!
I vote my conscience freely, no monolith can bind me,
I doubt conformity's demand to leave my mind behind me.
I've shifted paradigms in boardrooms, labs, and studios,
I've battled doubt and risen high in every path I choose.
Of Black achievements worldwide my knowledge is encyclopedic,
My pride in self-defense is strong, historical, and epic.
My spirit is resilient, never bowed or contrarian,
I am the very model of a modern African-American!
He is the very model of a modern African-American!
I am the very model of a modern African-American!