The Black Panthers called them fascist pigs
The armed thugs in blue unleashed upon them
Their leaders assassinated in bed or locked away
Shot down and imprisoned on trumped up charges
Having destroyed that revolutionary party
And with Malcolm and Martin murdered
Next came mass incarceration of people of color
Another name for concentration camps
And yet life went on as usual for white people
Most unmoved by what did not affect them
Only beginning to take notice years later
When Black Lives Matter raised awareness
Becoming conscious of systemic racism
Confronted with videos of police brutality
Moving millions to join protests in solidarity
Threatening the forces of law and order
The cops and white supremacist militia know it
They have already lost the hearts and minds
Desperately trying to intimidate through fear
The mass outrage that is boiling over
The working class is an abstract concept
Most people do not identify themselves with
But profiling harassment is a lived experience
Potentially life threatening for people of color
The recognition of the intersection of race and class
Holds the promise of overcoming the divisions
As white people learn how to become allies
Nothing will stand in the way of our unified movement
