We have a poem here, it's called "Whitey On The Moon"
It was inspired by some whiteys on the moon
So I wanna give credit where credit is due
A rat done bit my sister Nell
With whitey on the moon
Her face and arms began to swell
And whitey's on the moon
Written to set an image of the poor living conditions experienced by black americans in historically poor neighborhoods in which rats, or other vermin commonly seen as unsanitary, are abundant. 
 Could also be in reference to a particular case of Rat-Bite fever briefly discussed in The Autobiography of Malcolm X’s epilogue section in which Alex Haley describes X exclaiming: “Now, just read that, just think of that a minute! Suppose it was your child! Where’s that slum lord–on some beach in Miami!”, in response to reading a  newspaper clipping he brought to a biography writing session–though this could just be interesting insight as I’m unaware just how common Rat-Bite Fever is/was.
Whitey on the Moon