Wm. H. Maxwell; Baltimore Afro-American Ledger, March 7, 1914
Though we are black, and they are white,
Though they seem high and term us low,
They should not strangle with ugly might,
For we are men and the world must know. Continue reading
Tag Archives: JUSTICE
Not Free (1921)
Edwin Garnett Riley; Poems for Your Scrap Book, Chicago Defender, April 23, 1921
I live upon a blood washed soil, Where freedom's sons their rights expound. 'Tis here I breathe and strive and toil, And yet, in fact, I still am bound. 'Tis here the eyes of all mankind, In search of justice, fondly turn; Yet they who wield the power are blind; The nobler law they rashly spurn. I am not free while that which cries For greater consciousness within. The boasted claim of cast denies To me and others of my kin. I am not free while I must lie Within the pale of grottoes dim And be accursed--I know not why-- A victim to each churlish whim. I am not free while others seek To bind me to a menial state, And strive to prove that I am weak And never can be strong or great. I am not free while hatred reigns, While scorn rejects my race and hue, And sullen prejudice disdains To grant me that which is my due. I am not free nor shall I be 'Til love has sealed the hearts of men, And truth, her mighty travail see; I shall be free, but not 'til then.
Poem (1899)
A. A. Lott; Richmond Planet, August 26, 1899
Alexandria, Va.–On the recent lynching in this city, Aug. 8th.
________________________
What means this howling, hideous shout, "Take him out! Take him out!" What can be all this noise about, "Take him out! Take him out!" The midnight shriek reaches the sky, All over town both far and nigh, The sound shocks every passer-by, "Take him out! Take him out!"
An Appeal to Justice (1918)
Buford F. Gordon; ?? Century Magazine, May 1918
O time, where does thy River Justice Rise!
Is Righteousness a meandering desert stream
That rejuvenates within the verdant lands
But loses itself within the scorching sands?
And must we perish ere that it shall rise?
O Fount, where is thy ceaseless stream to-day?
A Nation’s Prayer (1909)
Ref. L. C. Moore; Washington Bee, September 25, 1909
Omnipotent God who crowned our day,
With grateful hearts to Thee we pray;
Under cloud and sunshine led by Thee
Peace and Justice we long to see.
Our Boys (1917)
Clara M. Marcelle Bramlette (Chicago); Chicago Defender, September 22, 1917
Uncle Sam is calling us to fight. See[?] "Our gallant boys" are rallying, one and all: Even though they're often CHEATED of their right-- They are willing to obey their country's call!
Justice (In the South) (1918)
Edna Perry Booth (Brooklyn, NY); Chicago Defender, February 2, 1918
“They have taken my boy a prisoner;
My boy, who is all my pride.
Who when only a little shaver,
Stood close at my knee and cried
Because he had found in the meadow,
Near the edge of the bubbling spring,
A bird, with its breast all crimsoned,
And a pitiful broken wing.
Lair’s Lake (1931)
J. Riley Dungee; Houston Informer, April 14, 1931
With rumors of revolting crime,
The public is enraged;
And in its retribution is
Indignantly engaged.
The despicable criminal
Conceived his guilt and hid it
Behind the sordid sentiment,
“Of course, a Negro did it.”
Old Man Lynch (1930)
William H. Maxwell; New York Amsterdam News, May 28, 1930
Cruel and cold is Old Man Lynch,
Brutal beyond compare;
Devoid of reason, Old Man Lynch,
Leading mobs that do not care.
The Black Samson (1907)
Josie D. Heard; Colored American Magazine, April 1907:
“There’s a Samson lying, sleeping in the land,
He shall soon awake and with avenging hand,
In an all unlooked for hour,
He will rise in mighty power;
What dastard can his righteous rage withstand?
