THE REVEREND JESSE JACKSON CALLED FOR A REVIVAL
OF THE SPIRIT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
by Jennifer Rose
In 1968--before Martin Luther King was murdered,
the same year he Marched for an economic bill of rights,
I knew I was beautiful. We All said Black is Beautiful.
We All said Black is Powerful. Quietly, our hearts told us
that Black Beauty and Black Power could save us All,
because it would be the last truth told.
Now, I am ready to say what I know. I know
Black People are the conscience and soul of our nation. We all know
how we treat our own soul.
Shackled in chains, we’d Drag it half way around the world
to see if we could get any money for it. Make it stand naked
in the public square to show it who is in charge. Run it ragged
to feed bosses who are already fat. Hang it by its neck
if it gets too full of itself. Let it starve,
then ask it to tell of its value, and Pretend we can’t hear its voice.
And when it is standing on the roof waving its arms, water rising all
around; when there simply is no more ignoring it; Call it the source of
our fear.
Don’t let it vote. Don’t let it weigh down the economy. Keep it silent.
But See
How We Can Not Put Out That Light
Jennifer Rose is a writer, editor and teacher. Her poetry has been published in the Cooper Point Journal, Rhetoric, and Bloody Wommyn.