Everything was separate,
The fountains, the schools,
The tables, the buses,
Nothing was left untouched,
Freedom wasn’t as it seemed.
The land of the free, equality for all,
This saying was not true.

Your hopes were crushed,
People stared,
They would not stop to help you,
Or even respond to your cries,
They said you were below them.
Their hearts were sealed,
Their minds were shut,
They fell into the lies,
The sterotypes, the beliefs of before,
They never truly understood
Your pains,
Your cries,
The burdens you had to bear.

Your cries were unnoticed,
Your pleas were ignored,
Who was to listen?
They raided your gatherings,
Forced you to dismiss,
Never knowing what it was like to be hurt,
Put down, broken apart,
By the racist slurs and broken dreams.

You called to others to gather,
To change your lives forever,
Not only for you, but for your wife,
Your children, their children,
And all the generations to come.
You began to protest the previous ways,
Stood up for what was right,
You took a stand against all odds,
Prepared to fight.
The battle needed to be won,
It was raging inside you,
Like a flame ignited from a spark,
It was your turn to shine.

You turned to others for help,
They came to your aid,
Passing flyers, organizing events,
Your voice was being heard.
You were educated,
You knew there was a chance,
It needed to be done,
It had to be done,
You only had one opportunity
To change a life,
A way of thinking,
A nation as a whole.

You opened eyes,
You told stories,
You brought light to the fact,
That we are all equal,
The same flesh and blood,
The same values and wants.
We are all human,
Our bodies are all the same,
Only the color of skin seperates us,
A barrier that needed to be destroyed,

You broke down that wall,
You gave everyone an equal voice,
Power in society,
A chance to prosper.
You started a revolution,
You improved the lives of many,
But your life was taken,
By a single bullet.

Although you are gone,
Your mission lived on,
The cause you fought for,
Died for,
Lived on.
We are now equal,
Pride is displayed in all eyes,
To live in America,
The home of the free,
A land of equality,
Thanks to you and your mission.

The stereotypes are no more,
We can relate to one another.
We are all the same color on the inside,
And it is now being shown.
Today and forever more,
Our society has improved,
All because you had a voice,
A willingness to speak out for what you knew was right,
You altered the thoughts of many,
Now America can be a land of equality,
Of hope and prosperity for all,
Regardless of race.