Enrico Stennett's Story
Mary Stennett and Liz Millman worked on a website to
www.spanglefish.com/enricostennett
Remembering Enrico Stennett
What do you do when you don’t belong?
What do you do when your skin colour’s wrong?
What do you do when you try to escape?
But find the same trouble, just in a new shape?
Well, let’s ask Mr. Enrico Stennett
Or you can call him Mr. Magic Feet
Yes, Siree, our Mr. Stennett
Never did he miss a beat.
First of all, he loved to challenge oppression,
No – he didn’t throw fists and fight
But always sought for solutions
When things were not happening right.
As a mixed race child, he’d been hurt by racism
And knew the harsh sting of unfair criticism
But did he get bitter? Oh, no, he did not!
He campaigned for others and duly forgot
To be held in the chains of his own past and pain;
He was a man on a mission with so much to gain.
He joined unions and movements; formed a League of his own
And through them became a man of renown,
Fighting for rights for people here and abroad
With activists all over, he formed common cords.
In England, he founded the first black newspaper
He called it ‘The African Voice’;
He was astute enough to know that the media
Was a powerful tool of freedom and choice.
Apart from the paper, his voice could often be heard
On the street near Hyde Corner where he issued the word
That racist injustice, oppression and strife
Was not a good thing in anyone’s life.
But Enrico wasn’t all serious, he knew how to have fun;
At the close of the day when campaigning was done,
He’d be dancing in nightclubs; he was second to none.
That’s why he was called Mr. Magic Feet,
He could rock to a tune and jive to a beat.
Men like Enrico are hard to come by
The world lost an icon when his time came to die
But we celebrate his life and his legacy lives on
And we’ll continue his struggle till the battle is won.
And of no less importance are his wives, also gone
Behind every good man, a good woman shone.
So, here’s to Enrico, please all raise your glasses
To the hero who tirelessly fought for the masses;
And let us encourage the youth to take note
That just like Enrico they can too can vote
For a world that is just, equal and fair
Just action by action and we’ll certainly get there.
