Happy Juneteenth!

It's June 19th! Also known as Juneteenth: a day to remember June 19, 1865 and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation giving freedom to all slaves. In honor of this historical day, I offer this poem:

Rejoice

Copyright 2008

To REJOICE, we must first

REMEMBER...

Remember the cries of our African Ancestors

forced onto ships sailing away from their homes, families and daily routines

Traveling for days, weeks, months into a foreign country to become someone else's property

simply because of the dark sun kissed color of their skin.

Remember and RESPECT

Respect the struggle, sacrifice, strain, strife, suffering, sweat, shackles, scars, strength,

spirituality and solidarity among the slaves

Remember, respect and RECOUNT

Recount the facts

Blacks were watched, whipped, raped, ropes wrapped round trees to hang grown men

robbed of their freedom

Remember, respect, recount and RECOGNIZE

Recognize from where we've come...

slavery to freedom

segregation to integration

racial divide to racial equality

grandfather clause to the right to vote

George Washington to Barack Obama

Remember, respect, recount, recognize and RECOMMIT

Recommit to supporting one another

strengthening our bonds

empowering each other to succeed and

loving ourselves as God loves us

Remember, Respect, Recount, Recommit....

RENEW, REFLECT, RELEASE, REFRESH, RECOGNIZE and REPRESENT

Then

we can

we shall

we will

REJOICE!