(Editor’s note: This piece is being performed at the 2023 Juneteenth flag raising at Lancaster City Hall. It was co-written by Sir Dominique Jordan and his mother, Ms. A.)
“A Call to Action”
If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound
Despite the obvious does it make an impact when it hits the ground
What about when the flag raises, piercing a new beginning in the sky
Are you present, witnessing history with your own eyes or even watching it on live
Juneteenth 2023: Local reflections
One United Lancaster asked several Black community leaders and advocates to share their thoughts on Juneteenth. Click the links to read each author’s essay:
No shade at all but back when I was working in the 2-1-5,
Black folks were present in numbers pushing to make their communities thrive
You see they learned from others that there is really strength in numbers
Standing ankle to ankle, arm and arm with their sisters and brothers of color
The audacity of you to assume that folks who don’t share your melanin will rally for us
While you sit on couches refusing to jump in the ring to fight for equal rights and justice
Oh what? You assume things just should be handed to you, like the proverbial baton that was supposed to be passed down
Like it didn’t get stolen in the process and used to beat us to the ground, but this used to be small town, this soon to big city, can only reach its true pinnacle if the culture of the black and brown is presented and preserved by you and me… so what’s it gonna be…
Are we going to continue to remain stagnant and accept the status quo
Or will we raise up and light our future generations with that invisible mojo
That type of vibrancy that only we can visualize then show the world we will no longer hide,
rather emulate the colors of the pan African flag and rise
to the occasion, so the nation puts some respect on its
most precious day of reckoning,
from 1619, to 1865, 6-19 …
let’s finally celebrate our true independence, together forever more…
