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Bushwick history lesson Lyrics by Jacqueline Woodson

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Before German mothers wrapped scarves around
their heads,
kissed their own mothers good-bye and headed across
the world
to Bushwick-
Before the Italian fathers sailed across the ocean
for the dream of America
and found themselves in Bushwick-
Before Dominican daughters donned quinceanera
dresses and walked proudly down Bushwick Avenue-
Before young brown boys in cutoff shorts spun their
first tops and played their first games of skelly on
Bushwick Streets-
Before any of that, this place was called Boswijck
settled by the Dutch
and Franciscus the Negro, a former slave
who bought his freedom.
And all of New York was called New Amsterdam,
run by a man
named Peter Stuyvesant. There were slaves here.
Those who could afford to own
their freedom
lived on the other side of the wall.
And now that place is called Wall Street.
When my teacher says, So write down what all of this means
to you, our heads bend over out notebooks, the whole class
silent. The whole class belonging somewhere:
Bushwick.
I didn't just appear one day.
I didn't just wake up and know how to write my name.
I keep writing, knowing now
that I was a long time coming.
Credits
Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson

About “Bushwick history lesson” by Jacqueline Woodson

Read the complete lyrics to "Bushwick history lesson" by Jacqueline Woodson. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Bushwick history lesson" is performed by Jacqueline Woodson. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Bushwick history lesson", explore more songs by Jacqueline Woodson using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"Bushwick history lesson" is credited to Jacqueline Woodson. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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