Hey, black child, do you know who you are?

Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair

Who you really are?

14 and 11 years old.

Do you know you can be what you want to be?

If you try to be, what you can be?

They never got a chance.

Standing in the mirror, admiring their immaculate natural skin

It glowed in the light, a child blessed with happiness from their mother

sun kissed and bathed

Kinky curls and best church dresses,

Giggly laughter and high pitched voices.

The moon in your eyes,

Mind higher than the stars in the skies.

Intelligent and innocent.

Your blackness is greatness,

They could have learned.

{breathe}

But the ground shook underneath their feet,

The fire creeped up, engulfing their souls.

Like the moon in the sky before the sun sets.

Like the wind in the night, slipping under your door.

Like a spider on its web, prey trapped.

Innocence taken from them,

A lifetime of love and adventure,

Pain and healing,

Vanished before they could blink.

The last breath stolen from their mouths.

As soon as I make it into heaven, I’ll paint pictures of you in the sky

Hey, black child, do you know who you are?

Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair

Who you really are?

14 and 11 years old.

Do you know you can be what you want to be?

If you try to be, what you can be?

They never got a chance.

Do you know you can learn? What you want to learn?

If you try to learn what you can learn!

Learn that, it was two years before they had a suspect.

And 37 years to finally arrest the last suspect.

Hey, black child, do you know who you are?

Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, and Robert Chambliss.