You thought you had us beat when you took us from our home, stripped us of our culture, and told us we were no longer people but property.
You thought you had us beat when you raped our women, beat our men, and sold our children.
You thought you had us beat when you donned your first sheet, burned your first cross, and rode through the night striking terror into our hearts.
You thought you had us beat when you silenced our voices at the voting booths with violence and intimidation.
You thought you had us beat when you turned us away at the lunch counter and locked the doors to the school.
You thought you had us beat when you set free the dogs and turned the hoses on us.
You thought you had us beat when you assassinated one leader after another of a movement that dared only to ask that you treat us as equals.
You thought you had us beat when you devoted hundreds of years to stripping away our dignity, pride, and self-worth.
You thought you had us beat, but here we are still standing, refusing to go away. Because despite your best efforts, your actions were merely those of a coward, not nearly enough to defeat us. Together as one, we are rising now, and others are joining us regardless of their race, color, religion, creed, gender, or national origin, a coalition of the righteous. We are gathering momentum each day. We are going to create a world where color doesn’t matter. A world without conflicts and killings. A world without borders and boundaries. A world united, not divided, ruled by love, not hate—a world where anything is possible.
You thought you had us beat, but we are here to tell you your time is coming to an end, and ours is just beginning.