Do not forget about me by DeJuan Bland

DeJuan Bland of Collective Vérité, a Detroit-based group of poetic creatives, time travels through the biggest moments in world history -- from pop culture and politics to revolutions and climate crises -- all from the lens of a prison television set. Through a cinematic journey that spans generations, Bland illustrates the ways in which society continues to move on while people are kept isolated and static behind the walls. The poem is a cry for us not to forget about the human beings and stories behind prisoner ID numbers.

1984, 
They tell me my name is no longer my name 
I am surrounded by numbers 
Numbers became ID, numbers became years I measure 
Numbers become the family I build here 
Do not forget me 
1984, Mac’s first computer is sold 
Magic and Bird meet in the finals 
And Michael Jackson dawns his sparkled glove 
In 85 the first MTV Music Awards air 
We are the world was released 
In 86 the Challenger exploded 
People viscerally learned what it meant to go postal 
And Hailey’s comet’s passed 
87 brought us Black Monday 
88 The first Bush became president 
In 89 the first game boy was released, Brandenburg gates reopened 
And for some time I kept hearing these rumors about crack 
It was adding numbers to my family in here 
But don’t forget me 
I’m still watching the world through this day room television 
1990 brought us the World Wide Web, the Hubbell telescope and Iraq invasion of Kuwait 
In 91 Michael Jackson receives 65 million record deal 
Magic Johnson retires due to aids and the Soviet Union Dissolves 
In 92 Clinton becomes President 
Carson retires from The Tonight Show 
End of the Road is first heard on the radio 
In 93 the Holocaust Memorial museum is dedicated in Washington 
In 94 Friends has its first episode 
In 95 Timothy McVeigh kills 168 people 
In 96 Clinton signs welfare reform, Pokemon debuts, and Tupac releases his last album before his death, 
Kobe Bryant is drafted 
97 Princess Diana dies, Steve Jobs is named Co-founder of Apple and James Cameron’s Titanic 
becomes the number one selling movie of all time 
In 98 Bill Clinton had one thing to say to the America people 
99 Lance Armstrong wins his 1 of 7 Tour de France victories 
But Don’t forget me 
I’m still watching the world through this day room television 
In 2000 We did not die, Gore lose to the second Bush and Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player to win 4 major titles 
01, September 11th sent vibration through the world 
02 The Wire depicts Black life in Baltimore 
03 Lionel Messi makes his Debut at 16 years old 
In 04, The Pistons became champions, Facebook is launched, and Friends airs it’s series finale 
In 05 Katrina Hit, American citizen were known as refugees 
In 06 North Korea test Nuclear bombs 
In 07 The iPhone drops, The Kardishians hit our Television, and 
The Mitchell report exposes Baseball steroid crisis 
In 08 Castro steps down, Bloody Friday hits just weeks before a Black Man becomes President 
In 09 Chrysler files for bankruptcy, Kobe wins his 5th and final championship, and James Cameron’s 
Avatar becomes the highest grossing movie of all time, Michael Jackson takes his final breath 
But Don’t forget about me 
I’m still watching the world through this day room television 
In 2010 Haiti’s Earthquake takes 160,000 lives 
In 2011 bin Laden is Killed In 2012 Usain Bolt makes history and Blue Ivy Carter is born, Travyon Martin killed for being black 
2013 Detroit files for bankruptcy, Orange is the new black debuts, Lance Armstrong tells the world he was 
a cheater 
In 2014 the Ukraine Revolution happens, Tamir rice murdered, Mike Brown’s death sets the streets of Ferguson on fire 
In 2015 The one child act in china is ended, Sandra Bland’s murder is called suicide, Donald Trump announces He’ll run for president….. ok 
In 2016, Trump wins the presidential election, El Chapo is capture again, and Beyonce drops Lemonade 
In 2017 Hurricane Irma hits 
In 2018 Apple is worth 1 trillion dollars and Black Panther is released 
In 2019 Simone Biles becomes the decorated Gymnast of all time 
But Don’t forget about me 
I’m still watching the world through this day room television 
In 2020……… A global pandemic keeps us in the house 
A knee on the neck of George Floyd brings us out the house 
Kobe Bryant dies with his daughter in his arms 
Chadwick Boseman, our Black Panther, loses his fight with cancer 
In 2021 Trump Supporters storm the capitol in an act of domestic terrorism 
In 2022 Putin invades Ukraine 
In 2023 AI is the topic of discussion where ever topics are discussed and Tom Brady retires at 45 years old 
In 2024 I am free….. Did you forget about me. 
The world looks so different from what I remember. 
Mama ain’t here no more, Pops is with that great cloud of witnesses but I still have the family I made 
My calendar still has days. 
Did you forget about me