Freedom delayed is freedom denied.
But when it comes,
With shouts and cheers,
The affirmations of free men and women,
Tasting it, feeling it, loving it.
No longer slaves.
No longer property.
No longer whipped.
No more families torn apart.
But freedom is an elusive thing.
One can be free today,
And enslaved tomorrow.
Not physical chains,
But legal, social, and psychological.
Our day of freedom is here,
And not here.
It has come,
But has also gone.
Plantations gave way
To “separate but equal.”
Fetters were broken,
Replaced with statutes.
The overseer gone,
The Kluxer taking his place.
Today, we celebrate Juneteenth,
One type of freedom.
But another type of freedom
Yet to achieve.
The freedom
To be treated,
Looked at,
Thought about,
Perceived as
Everyone else.