Poem – nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006

November 6, 2007

This poem was nominated by the UN as the best poem of 2006
Written by an African Kid
When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black
And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray
And you calling me colored :) ??

37 Responses to “Poem – nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006”

  1. jeques Says:

    Witty poem with sharp edges. Helariously biting words that speak the truth. Makes the reader laugh and cry inside.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

  2. Jo Says:

    The poem is very intensely written and inocently perfect. I can surmise that the kid is really exposed to the reality of life in which he/she precisely express it in this poem…He/she has a way of traslating lifes harshness and crystalize it into a art form….

    God bless you kid.Hope you know Jesus so you will see what is the true color of life and colorful promise that awaits life after black..

    cheers Jo from philippines

  3. Κ. Κωνσταντίνου Says:

    i seriously doubt that the un nominated this as the best poem of 2006. I search extensively the UN sote and nowhere could i find any evidence that UN suggested this as the best poem, nor that it suggested any poem at all. Even worse i clearly rememebr listening a disco-house tune which had as its lyrics this poem. I dont questions its quality, but i believe its background story is fake.

  4. Hadiza Says:

    I knew this poem as far back as 1992.


  5. [...] Re: Poem by African Kid – 1 Minute Ago Source for Above Info nominated as best Poem for 2006 in UN [...]

  6. Reka Says:

    “When I’m born I’m black, when I grow up I’m black, when I’m in the sun I’m black, when I’m sick I’m black, when I die I’m black, and you… when you’re born you’re pink, when you grow up you’re white, when you’re cold you’re blue, when you’re sick you’re blue, when you die you’re green and you dare call me coloured” – Malcom X

  7. Gulrukh Razi - Pakistan Says:

    Dear African Kid,
    I read the poem when a friend forwarded it to me. I mailed the poem again to several other colleagues and friends and recieved a great response. Everybody seem to love the reality expressed with simplicity and innocence which has a deep meaning and history attached to it….Way to go Kid. I wonder what your name is? What part of Africa you are from and how old are you? Just inquisitve….Best wishes.


  8. amazing thinking.

  9. Jay M. J Says:

    This poem is factual and cannot be denied regardless of the comments of who actually wrote it or when it was written. It is a strong message to those who first named the skin tones of different races into colors. Well we’re trapped with it… Great job KID. Let’s spread the message.

  10. Andy W Says:

    I swear this was a pop song in the 90′s

  11. alphaheretic Says:

    I can surmise…whatever

    This poem has been around since at least the 1970s. I read it when I was a kid. Long long time ago.

    It was written by an African-American.

    When have Africans ever been called Colored? I’m speaking of people from Africa. “Colored” is a term from the US South. An African boy would not be familiar with the term in this context unless he had visited the American South of the early 1900s.


  12. This is a prank or a hoax that is circulating on the internet for some years. Firstly, the United Nations has not recognized this or some other poem as a best poem of the year. There is no scientific validity for any of those statements.All babies, irrespective of their race and ethnicity are born in the same color. The newborn baby is reddish purple in color as the skin is very thin and transparent and we actually see the color of the blood which is the same in all humans. It takes several weeks of maturation before the baby develops permanent skin tone and color. This poem is just a racist view about human life and has no merit or truth to support it by facts. Black kids get sun burn, they turn blue, they turn yellow when they are sick and they turn gray as the aging process continues.


    • Helo Major,R.Rudra, why are you so conservative about the nature. The tone of poem itself indicating that it is written by a kid and he expressed wide openly. He simply told without any prejudice but your similie is not natural, it is self made and with burn confern.still you are without justice and trying to suppress the natural inwardly outcome of the innocents. A natural color is blessed by Allah alm but burn is due to eventual happenings.Please don’t mix up and learn something from the innocent kids. I like it most. Izainmyn. Pakistan

      • Elaine Says:

        It is a hoax in the aspect that it was said by Malcolm X, in America, not some little kid in Africa today. Rudra is also correct that the UN hasn’t officially recoginzed this, but I guess saying that a child wrote it gets more attention.

  13. tissue Says:

    Dear UN, what is this African Kid’s name? Give the kid some credit~

  14. aniza Says:

    who is the kid? what is his name? how old was he when he’s writing that poem? what is he doing now? where is he now? strange… his name never published

    • Elaine Says:

      Malcolm X said it, not some little kid in Africa. There is no name attached because people want to give it a childish nature when it was said by a grown man fighting to end racial oppression. When a “child” says it, it’s so cute and funny and can almost be taken as a joke, but find out that Malcolm X wrote it, and suddenly the humor is taken away and you can sense the seriousness of the tone he intended.

  15. d Says:

    Shame it wasn’t written by an african kid but a Maori from NZ and has considerably better grammar than written above which just seems to affirm someone’s stereotypical view that black people are poorly educated! :)

  16. d Says:

    Unfortunately I don’t know the name of the author, but if you really want to track it down, contact Saroja Subbiah of the NZ government office.

  17. hoda Says:

    that poem is really impressive
    we white people just say yeah great bravo and if we
    are a little more warm hearted we will cry a few drops…
    but who…really who cares?we read this poem and we admire it but which one of us really will change our minds?!!!
    peace with all races
    send my regards to that lovely child and tell him or her that i’m a poet too but i’ve never ever been able to describe my feelings so innocently…

  18. resser Says:

    this is actually a quotation by the late American black leader Malcolm X :) its not done by any African kid!!


  19. HOW UNFORTUNATE THAT SOME OF US MUST ARGUE THAT THE POEM AWARD WAS A HOAX. CANT WE ACCEPT A BEAUTIFUL POEM FOR JUST WHAT IT IS?

  20. prabakar Says:

    the poem is fentabulous .hate’s offf to tat cute ,brainy kid

  21. ceejay Says:

    hello. nakakatuwa naman ang poem.The first time i read your poem i am really touch. i felt inside my hearth how happy i am coz i read it. Today people are crucial. They are not thinking of one’s feeling.
    Thank you for writing it. Hope i can see you. thank you again.

  22. Kayode charles Says:

    This poem is cute

  23. xcorat Says:

    guys, how many times do people has to publish this? this was never nominated by UN, this is a poem usually attributed to malcom X, but i think it’s not true! It is a great poem, and usually seen on literature books with other similarly great poems. Stop talking about a an african kid, and show your ignorance!

  24. sugan reddy Says:

    word of pain!

  25. mungo Says:

    Found on http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/queries/faps/#27:

    Coloured

    When I was born, I was black.
    [...]
    AND YET YOU HAVE THE CHEEK TO CALL ME COLOURED!!!

    by an Anonymous pupil of King Edward VI School, Birmingham, UK.

    Found in The children’s book of poems, prayers and meditations ed. Liz Attenborough (Element Books, 1989)

  26. Jacqueline D'suza Says:

    awesome man!!

  27. Selena Stewart Says:

    gr8 job kid!!wat an intelligent..

  28. wenjhimar cayabyab Says:

    nice and interesring

  29. sanjib swargiary Says:

    The most natural poem I have ever read.Hat’s off.

  30. Ron Hummel Says:

    If a “white” person,especially American had written a poem similar to this they would have been called a “racists” and it now today would be a “hate” crime.

  31. Yumi Says:

    At the end, it doesn’t really matter who wrote the poem, the more essential is the deep content and meaning behind it. Though it sounds racist, but it is what it is…so real and true.

  32. arini Says:

    any body know about the biography of author? i need for my thesis.
    or some information of that poem. thnks be4


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