Benjamin Zephaniah — To Michael Menson

<p>Benjamin Zephaniah’s urgent, imperative “To Michael Menson” was written when he was a poet in residence at a human rights barrister in England. His poem resonates with his repeated calls for justice for a murdered Black musician — not a justice that is gullible, impotent, or hopeless but one that is clear-eyed, collaborative, and mighty.</p><p>Benjamin Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including <a href="https://onbeing.org/programs/benjamin-zephaniah-to-michael-menson/#media"><i>City Psalms</i></a>, <a href="https://onbeing.org/programs/benjamin-zephaniah-to-michael-menson/#media"><i>Propa Propaganda</i></a>, and <a href="https://onbeing.org/programs/benjamin-zephaniah-to-michael-menson/#media"><i>Too Black, Too Strong</i></a>. In 2000, he was poet in residence for the chambers of human rights barrister Michael Mansfield, where he worked on numerous cases, including the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Zephaniah appe...