REVIEW | Ain’t Never Not Been Black by Javon Johnson

AUTHOR: Javon Johnson

GENRE: POETRY

ISBN: 1943735840

RELEASE DATE Nov 3, 2020

PAGES: 99 PAGES

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

★★★★

like the title suggested this is a poetry collection of every second of being Black in America. It touches on topics such as racism, capitalism, materialism, art and daily lives, and many things that are important in the current political environment.

What moved me the most is the amount of pain that shows throughout this collection. The daily fear of getting into trouble, the struggle of can’t express oneself, the terror of being in a non-Black environment, or even communication can run into a dilemma.

So many powerful poems are in this collection.

The most heartbroken one is Cuz He’s Black, a poem where Javon talks about a conversation between him and his nephew. So many things about policing, racism, freedom, and fear are packed into this two and a half pages poem. It reminds me of a video I watched a couple of years ago when the interviewer asked a black toddler what to do when the police comes, the toddler said that he would raise his hands in the sky with his beautiful innocent eyes. Reading this poem where Javon recalls this conversation and reflects on the reasons behind his nephew’s ideas, makes me feel so emotional.

Another memorable topic in this book is economic development and gentrification. In the poem **Everything I Know About Gentrification I learned From My Step/Father, Or When The Cancer Comes**, Javon compares gentrification to cancer since they both spread fast. I found this is a brilliant metaphor that describes the problem perfectly.

“Gentrification is Killing us.
The abnormal cells are spreading
too quickly. They are
grouping together. Forming tumors”

The poems about his conversations with ignorant people make me very uncomfortable at times, fully knowing that those are actual daily life awkwardness that any black or brown people needs to deal with in America.

“an “educated” white man accused me of playing/ the race card/ because I was savage/ in my response to his racism”

“They said nothing, but their silence said everything”

Besides these poems, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. It’s short but packed with a combination of heart-rending, raging, and vulnerability. The language is beautiful and powerful. I would love to read more from Javon Johnson in the future.