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A voice and a vote are
terrible things to waste.
We can have our say
in our city, country, and states.
Decades of visible
and invisible shackles.
Slick word tricks to undermine laws.
One of the dumbest was
the infamous “Grandfather Clause.” *
Poll Tax, Literacy Tests,
Fraud, and Pressure.
Lynchings, Beatings,
Killings, and Persecution.
Each blocked the path
to equal representation.
What a dreadful mess.
Seeking access to the poll
took its toll
on a people tired and sick
of fighting for a chance
to be listed on the voting roll.
Protests, marches, and unjust arrests.
Cries of frustration.
Over time many died.
MLK escorted thousands in Alabama (1965).
Still, at first, people faced defeat.
The right to vote oftentimes denied.
With hard-fought resolve,
folks did not turn around or digress.
Yes, there were steep costs,
however, Congress halted race and sex
as a basis for denying participation.
This battle was not lost.
Civil Rights became guaranteed
under the new legislation.
The Voting Rights Act
outlawed our status as victims
of overt discrimination.
How many generations profited
from the fruits of slave labor?
We earned a right to a piece
of the American pie.
The cry, “ride or die” flies
in the face of today’s
partisan paradox.
There’s a vague disdain
for dropping a vote.
Some choose to not stop
at a voting hall asking,
“Who truly supports our blocks?”
1964: America ended the Poll Tax.
1965: Only 23% of us voted nationwide.
What was the problem?
Were the votes not counted?
Were things rigged?
Who was really on our side?
1969: A marked improvement.
61% left home to cast a ballot.
The stakes ran high.
A voice and a vote mattered.
The results of the 2020 election
have yet to come.
Will we all pull up
to the voting machine?
These are high-stakes contests
during a time of poverty, unrest,
and societal extremes.
A voice and a vote
are terrible things to waste.
We must have our say
in our city, country, and states.
We can determine our future
with our minds, hands, feet, and faith.
