the colour of front lines and back doors
the colour of their table and no seats
the colour of first
the colour of misnamed
the colour of speak only when spoken to
the colour of bootstraps
the colour of glass ceilings
the colour of blankets birthing statements
the colour of token
the colour of outspoken
the colour of unannounced fingers meeting braids
the colour of only
the colour of clutched purses and quickening paces
the colour of the other side of the tracks
the colour of missing
the colour of pins dropped on conference room floors
the colour of the un-waited table
the colour of 63 cents
the colour of the service elevator
the colour of too good to marry, but good enough to fuck
the colour of headstrong
the colour of switching tongues
the colour of talking so well
the colour of my word against yours
the colour of being magic enough for everyone.
Nia McAllister is a Bay Area born poet, writer, and environmental justice advocate working at the intersection of art, activism, and public engagement. As Senior Public Programs Manager at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, she creates participatory spaces for creative expression and literary dialogue. Nia’s writing and poetry have been featured on the Poets of Colour Podcast and published in Radicle magazine, Meridians journal, and Painting the Streets: Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion (Nomadic Press, 2022).