So often called the land of opportunity
How often this country found itself sliced into disunity.
North and South
Blacks and whites
And these little things I forgot to mention called Rights;

Rights denied.
Privileges withheld from our black brethren for so long
Until that tall man, that leader of our nation
Made a certain proclamation
Offering emancipation,
Promoting the elimination of discrimination
To those who never had vacation-
That man freed the Negros from their plantation

But the problems of segregation metastasized,
Characterized by violence and hatred with no thought of that one virtue we all hold sacred:
Love.
A society filled with racial inequality,
Rarely a white man had the generosity
To say to a black man “Here, split this bread with me”
Love’s absence prevented what was right,
And with that realization it was time to fight.

A little girl named Linda Brown fought an entire Board of Education
Rosa Parks fought with one word when she said “no” with justification
Dr. King fought with his dream in the capitol of our nation

From the Ku Klux Klan
To “yes we can”
These United States have adapted and evolved
To offer civil liberties and rights for all.