The fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO – and the protests that have erupted following that tragedy – have again triggered a much-needed national conversation about the realities of racism and  poverty in communities across the United States.  Recently I was pondering news reports about these issues, as I drove my car around town doing errands.  I happened to pop in a CD by Sweet Honey in the Rock, an African-American women’s a cappella singing group.  The first song caught my attention as an eloquent commentary on the violence in our nation: 

Ella’s Song – Lyrics by Bernice Johnson Reagon

Refrain:

We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Verses:

Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers’ sons
Is as important as the killing of White men, White mothers’ sons

And that which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people
Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail
And if I can shed some light as they carry us through the gale

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on
Is when the reins are in the hand of the young who dare to run against the storm

Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me
I need to be just one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot I come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survive

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At time I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

I pray that out of the anger and despair boiling in places like Ferguson, the voices of truth may rise to help our nation hear and respond in ways that bring true justice and healing.

Heidi Regier Kreider