Hiram H. Holland [Chicago, Ill.]; New York Age, March 18, 1915
Almighty God, from depths of dungeon dark
And bare as blighted trees bereft of bark,
We hear, beyond the borders of the dawn,
The raging war cry of Thy mortal spawn.
Tag Archives: God
E Pluribus Unum (1917)
Edna Perry Booth; Chicago Defender, August 4, 1917
I wonder if Abe Lincoln can look down from where he is,
And see the things that happen in this land that once was his;
I wonder if his heart aches; if the fears bedim his eyes;
If heaven is not quite perfect for him, beyond the skies. Continue reading
The Negro Soldiers (1917)
Roscoe C. Jamison; Crisis, September 1917
These truly are the Brave,
These men who cast aside
Old memories, to walk the blood-stained pave
Of Sacrifice, joining the solemn tide
That moves away, to suffer and to die
For Freedom–when their own is yet denied! Continue reading
Afro-American Hymn, Or Prayer of the Oppressed (1906)
C.O.H. Thoras [?], D.C., L.L.B; Baltimore Afro-American Ledger, October 26, 1906
Tune–America
Great God of Nations, we Have met to offer thee Our chant of praise. Of mercies past we sing Our present sorrows bring, And thy sure promises We ask--fulfill. Bless the race of wailing, Who to Thee are praying, Where 'ere they dwell. Continue reading
Jim Crow Cars ( 1902)
H. M. Leamon (Hagerstown, Md.); Baltimore Afro-American Ledger, January 25, 1902
Fear not, yea sons of Africa,
To ride on Jim Crow Cars,
The kind of cars we ride upon
Does not decide life’s bars. Continue reading
Just a Little Tired (1916)
Katharine Gilliard; Crisis, March 1916
Just a little tired, waiting
Through the night
For the new day to be breaking
Into light. Continue reading
The Colored Race (1913)
D. Webb Johns; Baltimore Afro-American Ledger, December 13, 1913
Stolen from their native land, sold in slavery; Looked upon to be outcasts, full of faith are we; By God freed but a short while, marching on with grade, Grasping opportunities, are the colored race. Continue reading
Up in Front (1909)
Welborn Victor Jenkins; Atlanta Independent, June 19, 1909
(Written by a trainman in appreciation of the boys who fired the trains on the Georgia road.)
1.
No muse will sing of our deeds of nerve,
No plaudits for us when our course is won;
For we are naught but the dogs who serve,
And silence must keep when the struggle is done.
Yet we know best of all that our hearts are right,
So we bend to our task till the saf'ty pops, "ziz."
We fire our engines with all our might,
But we're up in front where the danger is. Continue reading
The Race Problem ( 1906)
William T. Barks; Alexander’s Magazine, July 1906
A problem great the Negro he must face
If to loftier heights he would lift his race. Continue reading
Out of the Smoke (1917)
Geraldine M. Campbell [?]; Chicago Defender, July 21, 1917
To the God of all the heaven, to the God of just and right,
To the God of strength and power, to the God of wield and might,
To the God of ever nation, every country, every creed,
To the God that keeps a record of every act, and every deed,
Dost Thou hear our cries and groanings,
Dost Thou know our pains and moanings?
How much longer must we wait?
