The Color of Learning

By Jennifer Johnson

Slowly walking down the halls of school,

Stung by the stares of the kids,

I wish I could drink at the same drinking fountain,

And sit at the front of the bus.

School is supposed to be a learning experience,

Where you feel safe and can express yourself,

Yet police officers have to escort me to school,

To protect me from acts of violence and hatred.

I wonder if kids of all colors and ethnicities,

Could attend the same school,

Without hatred or jealousy,

And learn in a peaceful environment.

May 17, 1954 -When I was ten years old- was

A day of equality for those who were mistreated,

A day when the struggle became a victory,

A day of glory,

A day of freedom.

Now, as my kids go to school,

I know they will not be treated as inferior.

They will be safe from spitting and staring.

I am glad they will never have to experience what I had to.

Spring in the Shadows

by Benjamin Singer

We had our spring in the shadows

We spent our summers in the mud

We spent lifetimes learning

That ours was separate blood

Our reflections spotted porcelain

Our faces blackened bus backs

Our classes were taught in buildings

That stood like old shacks

There we learned of Freedom and Liberty

We pondered pursuits of Happiness and Equality

While on the playground a blackbird screamed

The cries of a little girl

They didn’t see us

Though we were always there

Finally they heard us

Trying to lead lives like theirs

Now the blackbird sings

On the ground where children play

The dove sings there beside her

And the children play all day

“The Best for Us”

by Nick Botkin

On May 17, 1954

We had school, but mama wanted more

She thought segregation should end

Because she didn’t like our situation then

See, we had to walk so many blocks

To an all-black school we were forced to attend

She said it wasn’t safe

That we could get murdered or raped

And all she wanted was what was best for us

But if she spoke up

She’d go in cuffs

But she persisted

And later insisted

That we be allowed in a nearer school

Now look where we are

We have gotten so far

But we still have a lot more to fuel

Where Are We?

By Kristin Aronow

For many years a hidden war has raged.

A struggle to expunge all prejudices

And unite all men under a banner,

A banner of equality and love.

Few know equality is perfection,

The perfection which we hope to attain.

Brave souls have brought this issue to light.

Linda Brown was among the first to try.

Brown vs. Board gave people hope for redress.

Like a relentless rain of arguments,

The debate poured down on America.

Virtue won favor and supporters grew.

The results were righteousness and decency.

The consequences were understanding

And tolerance. Like the unhurried crawl of a babe,

Change was slow in coming, but worth the wait.

America was forever changed;

A little girl had altered the world.

People now look past skin tone and race.

But perfection is still not found in this place.

To Be Free

By Hung Bui

“Mother, Mother, where are you?”

They curse at me, they call me “a coon.”

Speak, mother, speak to your little boy,

don’t leave me here, I’m all alone.

“Mother, Mother, I hear their curse, ‘nigger’ they call.”

I’m so afraid, I’m starting to cry.

I press myself against the wall.

They find me weeping, they slap me and hit me

and yell at me more,

the hurt and the pain, again and again.

Equality? What is the eight letter word that is so powerful?

How can one like me learn such a word?

In this day and age it is so unheard.

“Mother, Mother, no matter how hard I screamed,

my voices would never be heard.”

Equality is what is sought

in every person’s deep down thought

everything is meant to be free

from every animal to every tree

The fight for equality can never die!

To be free, Mom...

That’s what Equality means to me.

The Yin to our Yang

By Corey Bonanno

We are in half, different sides,

White and black, opposites.

A people cast aside,

And a man with an ambition, an ember,

Changed a nation.

Plessy, a lawyer.

We are two, cut down the center,

Light and dark, parallels.

Segregation of schools through race,

And a girl with the heart to learn, a spark,

Changed a nation.

Linda Brown, a student.

 We are apart, opposing borders,

Pallid and tinted, Poles.

The courtroom captures America,

And a verdict with hope, a flame,

Changed a nation.

Us, a people.

We are whole, as one,

Mottled and dappled, united.

Different and equal at the same time,

And a dream with the makings of balance, a fire,

Made a nation.

We, the Yin Yang.