Unmasking history — 6 poems for the brave at heart
UNMASKING HISTORYFreedom of speechDoesn't put a muzzle on history,But lets it tell the whole story.Masked history Has led to deceptionBy canceling the reception Of uncomfortable details And by claiming that racial crueltyWas an exceptionRather than the norm.FREEDOM RIDERSBlack & white heroesTogether boarded busesTo go to placesThat said no To uniting the races.They showed loveEven thoughThey were met with hateAnd were resisted with violence.LUNCH COUNTER SIT-INSWhite onlyWas too lonely,Rejecting the restOf the human race,So heroic blacksAnd some of their supporters,Sat down for lunchAnd were quicklyRefused service, harassed,Abused, insulted,Burned with cigarettes And punchedBy the other customers,Yet they remainedNonviolent & peaceful.BLACK VOTER REGISTRATIONPoll tax, literacy requirements,Jim Crow laws, & violence, Kept almost all blacksOff the voter rollsIn the SouthUntil the 1960sWhen men and womenCourageously went county to county,Risking their lives byRegistering blacks to vote.They were abused and beaten.Some were murdered by hate groups.More than a thousand of themWere arrested by law enforcement For simply trying to register people to vote.ANTI-LYNCHING MOVEMENTBetween the 1880s and the 1960s,More than 4,200 AmericansWere lynched.Some courageous blacksAnd a few of their supportersSpoke out against it,Yet the horror & evil of lynchingNever sparked a national outrage.From the 1930's Congress tried more than 200 timesTo pass an anti-lynching lawBut refused every time.Finally in 2,000 They made lynchingA federal crime.CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTMillions of AmericansWere denied theirConstitutional rightsBy illegal lawsAnd hate groups.Many said enoughAnd began to march.Community hateCouldn't stop them.Even law enforcement With billy clubs, Dogs and fire hoses,Were no match For those nonviolent heroes.For more unmaksed history, check out: Off the RACE Track--From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.
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Published on May 14, 2021 07:13
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