Let Us Not Forget

"Whites only" the sign reads What does it really mean Separation and segregation Special privilege to others over needs We obliged. We obliged. We obliged. Little Black girl with a school nearby However the school is predominately White The reason is her race that she cannot attend Every morning she walks for miles and miles We tried. We tried. We tried. Black man takes a stroll in town Weeks later, he is nowhere to be found Family wonders where he can be Under a pine tree, his feet a yard above the ground We cried. We cried. We cried. United we stand, divided we fall Overpowers divide and conquer them all So we joined together Held hands and stood tall We replied. We replied. We replied. Enraged policemen and their vicious attacks Released snarling dogs on our backs The force of water from the fire hoses Wasn't as strong as our dignity intact We sighed. We sighed. We sighed. As the days went by and grew long We formed a bond that became strong With marches, sit-ins, and speeches With the sound of passion and pain in our songs No more obliging. No more trying. No more crying. No more replying or sighing. Take a look in present-day It may be safe to say When it comes to social injustices and inequality We have come a long way Let us not forget this dark past This shall not be a shadow to cast But a stepping stone To a day we ALL can truly be "free at last"