Celebrating one of the principals of Kwanzaa:
Determination:
If not for the determination of our ancestors,
where would we be. It is up to us to treasure
their gift of endurance and continue the work
with the same endurance. "For the race is not
given to the swift or the strong, but to the one
who endures until the end."
For Our Gain
I just want to say thank you
For all that was done,
For the victories that were won,
For our gain
The privileges we embrace came at great cost
Lives were lost.
Men, women and children
Scarred and battered;
Their dreams shattered.
They suffered and endured the pain
For our gain.
We have no right to cry woe is me.
Only grace has kept us from hanging from a tree.
We cannot forget from whence we have come,
All that was done
For our gain
For our gain,
Men were sent to their graves,
Not as free men, but as slaves.
We must not forget on whose backs we ride.
For our gain, Rosa took that ride.
For or gain, the Freedom Riders stood with pride.
If we look back at our history,
We cannot help but say, Thank God we are free.
Thank God for every victory,
For every obstacle we have overcome
For everything that was done
For our gain
For our gain.
We cannot fall asleep.
There is a promise to keep.
In case you didn't know,
There is a debt we owe.
If we are to honor our past,
There is a baton to be passed,
A hill to be climbed by all.
It is our destiny and our call.
Martin shared his dream,
In faith, believing
We would know what it means
Oh that he could have lived to see
The defeats being swallowed up in victory.
In faith, he gave his life.
He made that sacrifice.
For our gain!
He did it all
For our gain.
From Living the Dream, copyright 2014
by Patricia Newman-Harris