Who said this was the Land of the Free?
They must’ve been joking, because since them days,
there have been slaves, and even when the chains
broke, the Klan came from dark woods in hoods
and burned crosses – fires crackling in fields,
reflecting in frightened eyes.
And what about the more subtle ways?
Like old Jim Crow in every town?
Pick up a sign, flood the streets,
stomp on the blacktop with your feet,
‘till the chant booms from every
corner of the country:
Equality is never given; it must be taken.
(Photo by James Eades on Unsplash)
