If I Can Sit Down

It Is Better To Protest Than To Accept Injustice.

People Have Said Over The Years That The Reason I Did Not Give Up My Seat Was Because I Was Tired. I Did Not Think Of Being Physically Tired. My Feet Were Not Hurting. I Was Tired In A Different Way. I Was Tired Of Seeing So Many Men Treated As Boys And Not Called By Their Proper Names Or Titles. I Was Tired Of Seeing Children And Women Mistreated And Disrespected Because Of The Color Of Their Skin. I Was Tired Of Jim Crow Laws, Of Legally Enforced Racial Segregation.

I Thought About Emmett Till, And I Could Not Go Back. My Legs And Feet Were Not Hurting, That Is A Stereotype. I Paid The Same Fare As Others, And I Felt Violated. I Was Not Going Back.

If I Stayed Angry At Other People, I Would Miss Finding Friends Among Those I Was Angry With.

If I Can Sit Down For Freedom, You Can Stand Up For Children.