The culmination of the movie Selma has brought to the forefront the importance and appreciation of the right to vote in America. Although we have come a long way in this arena, we still have a long ways to go. We thank all of those who marched for our rights in 1965. Thank you for enduring on our behalf. The battle is not over and the struggle continues as long as the rights won are being denied any man in this country.
American Pie
This song is for you,
The heroes
And sheroes
Of our sacred past.
Yours was a complicated past
Filled with anguish and pain.
You were shamed and ignored
And treated like a dirty stain
On America’s floor.
This song is for you.
For all you went through,
We thank you.
Thank you
For purchasing our piece of the
American pie.
We know the price was high.
You suffered and died
That we might have a slice.
Yes we know the price.
So we won’t forget to
Pay our respect
As we take our seat
And feast.
Nothing can be worse than what you had to face.
Still, you established our place.
As long as we are able,
We will take our seat at the table;
Savoring the taste.
Not one piece will we waste.
Before we eat our slice,
We will consider the price.
For we know good men had to die,
For our piece of the pie.
In homage, we bow our heads
And say, Thank you.
We would not be here without you.
We, your survivors sit in your place.
We thank God for His grace,
And we thank you for standing strong.
For us, you defied wrong,
You fought hard and long
To give us a place to belong.
You labored
Sunrise to sunset
To make sure we would get
What you could not get.
We know the price was high.
You suffered and died.
This song is for you,
Our heroes and sheroes
For all you went through.
We just want to say, Thank you.
From Living the Dream copyright 2014 by Patricia Newman-Harris
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/chronologyentry/1965_03_25/