Freedom Riders

This is a historical response to where the freedom movement is today in reference to yester-years...

Where are today's Freedom riders?

Were they frightened by the grassy knoll?

Have we lost their compassionate spirit,

socially conforming our rebel soul

We once were unafraid of retribution

Stood united - whites, browns, and blacks.

Sought after freedom for all,

in defiant but righteous acts

Have we traded sitting on the back of the bus,

for a ride by the window seat?

Preferring to do things alone,

after surviving the midday heat.

Today's Freedom riders,

are now all about the dollars

With counterfeit concerns,

and acting like street scholars

I guess we were comforted,

after fighting against segregation.

It made us believe we arrived,

by the hint of bogus assimilation.

Ex riders acquired post traumatic stress,

now survive by "I got mine, you get yours!"

Overlooking the modern day lynching,

and numbed by the multiple wars.

Where are today's Freedom riders?

They're freed to a destination unknown,

but we're still our brother's keepers,

and all of our sins we must atone......

 

Copyrighted and written by Bill Rembert, June 5, 2011

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

I'm glad to see this, and agree totally. After the tumultuous sixties, I naively thought permanent change had been achieved, but was wrong, of course.