12 white Elders
I just wanted to go home and play after church
A normal-kid thing to do in GE-centric Schenectady
A New York place with Union soldier monuments all around
Yet as segregated as any Southern town.
We went to a lily-white church
Staunch conservatives all
Yet this day, the congregation walked to the Courthouse
Our 12 white Elders led the way.
We joined a large gathering
A rainbow of churches from all around
Speeches about a place called Selma
Something in our country was very wrong.
I remember our 12 white Elders
Crossing arms singing, “We Shall Overcome”
We went home, and I got to play
Yet even for the son of a white Elder
Things were different from that day.
(In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
My father, John E. Ryan, passed away in 2000.)
Thank you for this memory. I think its a very profound and respectful statement about ‘change’.
Comment by Jan — January 22, 2010 @ 10:53 am
David:
Unfortunately I am just getting around to reading your blog. Thank you for sharing such a positive message. I believe that everyone has memories of those days – not just people of color.
Reggie Sanders
Comment by Reggie — January 25, 2010 @ 12:23 pm