Still, We Rise

You smell like sweet roses, But I've smelled the sweat of the weak. My sight is as keen as an eagle's eyes; I see the chains, rusted from years of injustice, binding the meek. Segregation tried to tear us apart; Tried to break our spirits, but we stood unbroken. Like Carlotta Walls, I keep my head held high, Disregarding the lies. Even when the ground is unstable, I feel the weight of all the cries, But still, my will is unshakable. Racism tried to steal our pride; It tried to silence our voices, But the roar in my protests shakes the sky. Is it pain that makes you shy? We taste the bitter ash of sorrow, Long, hard fights. I hear the whispers of a dream— Thunder-loud, like the King's words shaking the nights. The statues speak, but they are silent. They don’t tell the battles we’ve fought, The struggles we’ve survived. Segregation tried to tear us apart; It tried to divide us, but we remain unbroken. Yet here we are, stronger than before. Like the Proclamation’s call, we break the chains; The day will rise — not just with light, but with our truth.