PoemsBrowse PoemsSlamsFresh DropEchoes
LearnWriting TipsPoetry TermsPoets & ArtistsBooksFor Teachers
ExplorePoetry GenomePoem MapEchoesTake ActionGroups
AboutWrite a PoemDonateSign UpLog In

Time


One Nine Five One
I am 8 years old.
I live around the corner from a school I can't attend.
I am forced to travel by bus to receive an education.
My father is upset and decides to sue.
I AM LINDA BROWN.
One Nine Five Four
3 years later.
Brown v. Board of Education.
Legal school segregation ruled unconstitutional.
One Nine Five Five
I am 14 years old.
I am killed.
For "whistling" at a white woman.
I AM EMMET TILL.
Same Year
I am a woman.
I ride the bus.
And I refuse to give it up, only because I am black.
I AM ROSA PARKS.
One Nine Five Seven
There were 9 of us.
We go to Central High School.
That's a "whites only" school.
We were moved out of school by authorities.
WE ARE THE "LITTLE ROCK NINE"
One Nine Six Two
I am the fist black to enroll in the University of Mississippi.
I got 5,000 troops sent to contain the violence.
I AM JAMES MEREDITH.
One Nine Six Three
250,000 people joined together.
Orated by Martin Luther King Jr.
I AM THE "I Had a Dream" SPEECH.
One Nine Six Eight
I am killed at 39.
I am a Civil Rights activist.
I gave the most remembered speech of the movement.
I AM MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
One Eight Five Seven
through
One Nine Nine Two
represent
Civil Rights Movement.

©All Rights Reserved

Something wrong with this poem?

Share

Replies are closed for this poem.

Your Poem's Voice

See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.

Comments (8)

sacrifice
<p>Amazing :)&nbsp;</p>
Elrast
<p>I really like this.</p>
strongtower91
<p>hun i loved the history time line of it it was very beautiful</p>
Adegboyega
<p>beautifully scripted, clever, sly. the hopelessness of the situation is made manifest, but the never say die attitude reverbrates around this poem.</p>
riverrock23
I really like how you did the years. They're like addresses. Very cool.
riverrock23
I really like how you did the years. They're like addresses. Very cool.
jwiener
I really like how you took on the persona of many different historical figures and events in this poem! Very interesting idea! Have you ever written a visual poem? Check out how and more in the "Resources" section.
maribelle
This poem is so clever. I love the historical references and the recognition that civil rights have not been easy to fight for throughout all these years of the movement.

Log in to leave a comment.