Lift Every Voice
slavery was an institution.
rejected respected protected.
depending on who you asked.
THEY
the ones respecting and protecting.
would choose to die before dismantling that money machine.
thousands of confederate deaths testify to this.
economics. bottom line. cash cow. holy grail.
that’s how THEY felt about it.
protecting it was a passion.
the list of protection tools is endless.
the worst tool.
Oh God. the worst tool.
don’t let us read. don’t let us write.
THEY took away our ability to train our minds to think for ourselves.
oh God. the worst tool.
our backs would heal.
our backs did heal. scarred but healed.
but don’t take away our ability to think for ourselves.
if we can think for ourselves we will make decisions best for ourselves.
being free was best for ourselves.
but the masses of us did not break loose.
but what if we were reading and writing?
then maybe we would have freed ourselves.
maybe a Black man or Black woman would have credit for freeing the slave.
but then againTHEY knew this.
knew if we had our own thoughts
thoughts we wrote by ourselves for ourselves
we would have read to Lincoln our own Emancipation Proclamation
but THEY made reading and writing a CRIME.
we were criminals.
us reading and writing.
criminals.
THEY reading and writing.
philosophers.
us learning hiding in the woods.
THEY learning in a school house.
but THEY taught us one thing:
reading and writing was important.
important enough for them to kill us as examples.
examples to other slaves so they don’t free their minds.
how dare us…thinking
at risk of death we learn to read
at risk of death we learn to write
I could sign my name and I was a criminal
THEY could kill me for that
and be law abiding citizens
Fredrick Douglas
thank you for learning to read
Phyliss Wheatley
thank you for learning to write
thank you for telling the world we have something to say
thank you for lifting your voice to sound the voices of the many
Back to Articles & Poems
Home, Guest Book & Feedback
Poem by 