(Editor’s note: Jada Poindexter, of Hopkinsville, wrote the poem titled “A Legacy of Change” for the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday at the James E. Bruce Convention Center. Poindexter is a student at Murray State University, where she is studying public relations and creative writing.)
A Legacy of Change
Lift every voice and sing,
I am free, I am free, I am free
because of God’s grace
and those who came before me.
Those who fought and refused to be silenced,
those who refused to leave others behind,
and those who refused to act out of hate and violence.
There should be no place for hate in the human heart,
yet it surrounds us day to day
and tears us apart.
Last night I had a dream, and I wish you were there
somehow, I encountered two mysterious figures
who were in a state of despair.
The first one said to me,
“I am compassion, and I am sometimes overlooked.
“I am in every crease and crevice; you can find me if you just look.
“I am compassion, I have the potential to be in the hearts of all
“The lack of my presence causes nations and bloodlines to fall.
“To fall far from civility in which I am rooted.”
The second figure proclaimed,
“I am civility, and I am with you when you act and speak.
“If only you knew what you could do if you used your God given abilities.
“If only you knew the impact you could have if you stood up and spoke with compassion.
“Your words could be enough to change the unlovable ways of a generation.”
Martin Luther King Jr. said that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
bell hooks said that “Without justice there can be no love.”
Love and justice cannot exist if we just sit back waiting for someone else to act
To be just and seek justice, you must take a stand, you must be willing to reach out and grab a hand,
to grab the hand of someone who needs you,
to grab the hand of someone who hates you,
to grab the hand of someone who has disrespected and belittled you.
Only then is when change is gonna come.
King believed a change was gonna come,
hooks believed a change was gonna come,
and in both of their lifetimes, change was done.
Although the caged bird is free it still sings,
when you hear its fearful trill will you save it?
Or will you turn the other cheek?
Will your lack of action be the reason why change seems to be delayed?
Why change seems to hide and be afraid,
afraid of our society and what we have allowed it to be.
A change is gonna come.
A change is gonna come.
A change has to come.
For our society to be civil,
we must have the right to be free,
the right to be ourselves,
the right to love,
the right to exist unapologetically.
If we have no justice, no peace,
or no love, we will never have civility,
nor will we truly be free.
Our nation has come a long way,
but we must push forward,
change has finally come,
but will we accept it
and will we fight for it?
Will it be worth the fight
fought by those who
longed for freedom and equality?
Will it be the type of change
that will leave a legacy.
A legacy that your children’s
children will see.
A change that will never be forgotten
and will change the course of history.
A legacy that stands for one nation under God, and a nation that stands for indivisibility, and citizens who stand for liberty and justice for all of humanity.
A change is gonna come.
A change is gonna come.
A change has to come.
Jada Poindexter, of Hopkinsville, is a student at Murray State University.
