By the way, 'long ago' in this poem is the early 1950's...
Close your eyes: Picture a long-ago time and place When life was lived at a much slower pace Think Deep South, small towns or big cities Your lot in life there determined by race Colored folks couldn't attend school with whites Which often meant that their futures weren't bright Couldn't eat with them, swim with them, use their restrooms So many white folks just shrugged at their plight And just as the schools were segregated So too pro sports leagues were not integrated Spawning the incomparable Harlem Globetrotters Talented athletes with pennies compensated Now open your eyes wide to America today Where the black athlete dominates the field of play From Serena Williams to Tiger Woods to LBJ (LeBron James) What would all those folks from long ago say Would they think that no progress' been made When in politics black leaders burst through barricades From Colin Powell to Barack Obama, tales of powerful drama The rich and the mighty now come in all shades Yet today the young say America's racist, oppressive That the progress folks feel is an illusion, regressive But if you ask those mythical visitors from long ago From their point of view, it's quite impressive
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