Progress

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.