Now I Get It
Black History Month is recognized almost everywhere;
I’d watch shows like Roots but didn’t care.
Slaves sold from one master to another;
Separated from mother, father, sister and brother.
On the plantations picking cotton;
Praying to God they won’t be forgotten.
Black people sitting at the back of the bus;
Wondered why no one would put up a fuss.
What’s wrong with you people, why not fight back?
Mom said they stayed humble to keep families intact.
The dogs, hoses, sticks and stones;
They never retreated to be left alone.
Can’t drink from the fountain, get an education;
Little Rock Nine opened the eyes of the nation.
News bytes of riots and protests and sit-ins;
Still uninterested because where do I fit in?
The 50’s and 60’s were for civil rights;
So I can live in a city that ends with the word “Heights”.
That’s in the past, I’d say, then channel surf;
Something so subtle but powerful was what I saw first.
A black man and white woman dance on the floor;
Why didn’t this program affect me before?
Whoopi and Barbara share a desk on The View;
I had to look twice like it was something new.
Oprah and Dr. Phil share a friendly kiss;
Different races now celebrate wedded bliss.
Jackie Robinson played amongst hisses and boos;
Jordan and James are making sports news.
Those who came before me were hung from a rope;
On my 18th birthday, I will register to vote.
Rosa went to jail because of sore feet;
When I ride the bus I take the front seat.
They marched on Washington years ago;
So I can be a doctor, a lawyer, or CEO.
Carl B. Stokes, Cleveland’s mayor in 68;
Barack Obama in 2008?
I finally realized what the struggles were for;
Now I Get It even more!
Copyright © Monica Price | Year Posted 2008
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