SNCC and Freedom Week

"In 1960-64, a profound political and societal change was called forth by the brilliance and tenacity of a few brave young Americans. The founding members of SNCC, The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee met in April 1960 and vowed to end the sanctioning of racial segregation in America.

Fifty years later, in April 2010, seven Savannahians, all related through a common connection to Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy, took a road trip to Raleigh, North Carolina to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the founding of SNCC. We had no idea what to expect, or what effect it would have on us.

It was big.
It was good.
It was real."

"Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy is a 32 year old community organization that brings people together around the issues of social justice and social inclusion on behalf of people who are excluded because of prejudice toward people with disabilites. We ask citizens to become advocates on behalf of individual people. We trace the lineage of the movement for rights of people with disabilites directly from the civil rights movement."

These people put on an event called Freedom Week in Savannah, which I attended and enjoyed.

Gorgeous

This is a piece by Clinton Powell that was read extremely well by Rushelle Frasier at the SNCC Freedom Week in Savannah.

Gorgeous The Troy Davis Piece
by Clinton D. Powell

This is for my city... and I love my city
But there are times my city doesn't return my love

I want my city to be gorgeous
And the truth is so gorgeous

We are not asking for Freedom for Freedom sake,
We are asking for justice... and if justice equals freedom then so be it

Remember when we were in class and
The teacher would leave on person to take names on the blackboard
And that person just happens to be the big bad bully that no one wants to cross
And this week the bully decides to pick on you, the decides to LIE on you

Putting your name on the blackboard for throwing paper and cussing in class
And even when you screamed at Ms. Simpson,
"It wasn't me, I didn't do it." She doesn't believe you
And there wasn't another student trying to save your butt.
Now you got no recess, no playtime for a whole week
And its about to go on two
You're being punished for a crime you didn't do
But hoping somebody, anybody in your class
Would just tell Ms. Simpson the truth
Here you are dying on the inside
Your skin covered in poison ivy lie, craving calamine lotion truth,
All we want is the truth

And the truth is our city is divided
They say there are three roads to reach the truth
Not too far right, not too far left, but the truth just somewhere down the middle

There is a lot of ugly out there
I want my city to be gorgeous
And believe me ya'll the truth is so gorgeous

Truth is, I don't know what it's like to go through life as my father's namesake
Bearing his likeness, being bombarded since birth to curse the man that killed my daddy
Watching my grandmother weep, unable to speak
Feeling my sister and mother's arms reapped around my sorrow
Hearing all my life one name that is the source of my family's pain
And knowing that his death will give my family life
I don't know what it's like to live this reality, then have half my city tell me
That the name that I hate and the name that caused all my family's pain - those names are not one and the same.

I don't know what it's like to be a sista searching, struggling, trying to save a brother without sacrificing her sanity and soul...
Often being the only voice shouting into a vacuum, holding a family together by faith
all beacuse she loves and believes her brother
Can't imagine being a mother still holding on, Christmas, after Easter, after New Year, after birthday after Thanksgiving, still giving thanks that hope still springs eternal
I don't know what it's like to be a nephew to look in the stands during a basketball game and never see my uncle, never hear him cheering, "I got you, nephew."

But I know what it's like to want the truth
Truth is, we are a city divided
The road to the right is screaming guilty, the road to the left is shouting innocent
And that is ugly, and if there is a way to truly find that gorgeous middle of the road of truth then so be it, let's do it.

Because we are all familiar with being wrongfully accused whether in class or in life
20 years is a long time without recess
And the classroom sit-out doesn't compare to having your name written on Savannah's blackboard
Being stamped, labeled and branded Troy Davis, the murderer. You that... Cop-killer
That that is just ugly Savannah and we can't be ugly, I need my city to be gorgeous
They're watching C-port and we can't be ugly like California
When we watched 4 idiots on idiots box, beat down a king who traveled through the wrong block then in court, we watched all four of those idiots walk.

So we can't be ugly like New York
A nation heard 41 shots hit Am-a-doe-bee-a-lo, young African dead at 24,
Mama clutching her son's shirt and memory of his smile, cause his body won't be back no more,
But them 4 officers said oops our bad and then walked their ugly asses out the courthouse door.

We can't be ugly lke Georgia. My Georgia with 20 wrongful convictions,
20 men serving nearly 170 years for crimes they did not commit
We need need our city to be gorgeous
And believe me ya'll the TRUTH is so gorgeous

We are not asking for freedom, only justice, and if justice equals freedom then so be it.

Savannah Please BE GORGEOUS!