Before Selma

Before “The March on Selma”, before it all began James Orange was arrested; he was a giant of a man It was Rumored they would lynch him So the church gathered and they prayed But once outside the temple, the authorities were outraged They were meet with opposition and brutally beaten to the ground Some ran as they were followed; Chaos was the sound Three ran inside a café, thought shelter would be found Protecting his mom from trouble, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot down Eight days later he would die; but his death gave us the fight Our voice no longer silent unified for what was right We wouldn’t ride the buses, together we would stand And though their hearts were heavy, they walked hand in hand Martin came to guide them, to Selma they would march. To change the course of history, equality of every sort Dr. King fought for our dignity, Pres. Obama now lives the dream As we celebrate fifty years later, what does it really mean……… To be continued………………………. By Patricia Mitchell-Templeton