One hot summer’s day
June 19th, 1865
Was a day that forever changed
Black America’s lives.
The Sounds of breaking chains
Echoed across the lands
Taking center stage with the end of
Whipped backs and bound hands.
So many priceless lives
Unnecessarily given
In the name of freedom because
Bondage wasn’t how we were living.
Over the decades we strived
Fighting every step of the way
And we’re not done yet
Because we still fight to this day.
We’ve come so far into our own
And as we continue to do,
We make a way for the next
Generations of me and you.
Uplifting and encouraging them
To be steps above where we were
So they’re treated with respect
With yes ma’am and no sir.
The bells of freedom have rang
On the ground are broken links
A symbol forever etched in history
Of freedom day, Juneteenth!
© 6/6/23 LP45
Revised 6/17/23
The original version of this is 19 verses long. I had to break it down for a Juneteenth event I went to on 6/17