Equality and dignity, still past due. This is not justice. #blacklivesmatter They said, Wait. Well, I waited. For a hundred years I waited In cotton fields, kitchens, balconies, In bread lines, at back doors, on chain gangs, In stinking colored toilets And crowded ghettos, Outside of schools and voting booths. And some said, Later. And some said, Never! Then a new wind blew, and a new voice Rode its wings with quiet urgency, Strong, determined, sure. No, it said. Not never, not later. Not even soon. Now. Walk! And other voices echoed the freedom words, Walk together, children, dont get weary, Whispered them, sang them, prayed them, shouted them. Walk! And I walked the streets of Montgomery Until a link in the chain of patient acquiescence broke. Then again: Sit down! And I sat down at the counters of Greensboro. Ride! And I rode the bus for freedom. Kneel! And I went down on my knees in prayer and faith. March! And Ill march until the last chain falls Singing, We shall overcome. Not all the dogs and hoses in Birmingham Nor all the clubs and guns in Selma Can turn this tide. Not all the jails can hold these young black faces From their destiny of manhood, Of equality, of dignity, Of the American Dream A hundred years past due. Now! Naomi Long Madgett, 1965
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 04:00:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015