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War was declared,
On two fronts:
At home and abroad.
As American troops fought
To make the world
Safe for democracy,
Or to end all wars,
Or to stop communism
From spreading
Like a communicable disease,
She was fighting
A domestic war
From the War for Independence
To the Vietnam War,
From sea to shining sea,
Blacks fought for American ideals,
The ideals America preached
To the world abroad
But didn’t
Practice at home –
Not for her
Black citizenry.
Reluctantly recruited
Throughout history –
Even during slavery:
The Slave Enlistment Bill –
Oftentimes volunteering:
The War of 1812 –
America now called upon
Her able-bodied Black men
To fight people of color.
Put them on the front lines.
It didn’t matter
That they had nothing to gain
In a separate and unequal world,
Their lives to lose.
The Greatest
Eloquently stated:
“People call me nigger
In this country
Every day.”
It was reported as:
“No Vietcong ever called me nigger.”
“Nigger, nigger, nigger!”
Those are fighting words!
If there’s fighting
To be done,
America’s a good place
To start.
Uncle Sam wants you!
A white finger
Pointing at a
Black male –
Selective Service.
If the Greatest
Wouldn’t fight abroad,
He wouldn’t fight at home.
Stripped of his license to fight
This heavyweight champ,
He fought his battle in court,
Won years later.
But Uncle Sam had called,
And if Uncle Sam wants you,
He gets you,
One way or another.
Uncle Sam
Always gets his man.
Now, we canonize
The defiant Black man
Who threw his Olympic gold medal
In the river.
He was great for doing that.
He was great for not
Fighting in a war
He didn’t believe in,
Against people who’d
Never called him nigger.
“Nigger, nigger, nigger!”
Those are fighting words!
If there’s fighting
To be done,
America’s a good place
To start.
We canonize him –
The Greatest –
For the wrong reasons.
Easy Waters 