The Cross and the Lynching Tree

The Cross and The Lynching tree are the two most emotional depictions Of the African experience in America when it comes to the descriptions Of the historical circumstances that define my people's struggle Of the hatred, the pain and the injustice nothing but trouble Torn down and broken hearted in the valley of despair Death seemed like the only way to get out of there But my people were survivors and they knew that one day change would come So they held on to their faith and hope because of the Holy One They would not accept defeat, they would not accept doubt They knew that somehow God would work it all out Despair may seem so real but we have an endemic capacity to live Knowing that God is on our side and mercy to us He did give Glory Hallelujah we placed our hope in Christ Despite the rope and lynching tree taking my people's lives The Lynching tree depicts death and despair While the Cross symbolizes eternal life and no fear We've been transformed and transcended by the power of the Cross In spite of white supremacy and the black lives that were lost And we now know that there is nothing new under the sun As what happened to my people also to Jesus it was done The Cross is a redemptive symbol of faith, hope and trust It depicts God's resurrection power that abides inside of us And the harsh realities of slavery that my ancestors endured Has made their descendants more resilient than ever before Yet systemic lynching in still in affect and the world needs to see What's truly happening in America's so called democracy Black folks are being killed almost every single day A disproportionate number in prison or in economic disarray Financial slavery in the form of debt, unemployment or uneducated But we hold on hoping that one day we will be truly emancipated From the Crucifixion to the Middle Passage and beyond slavery We know see the correlation between the Cross and The Lynching tree