I. You. We.

I. You. We.

I was ten years old in 1986 when I learned about the Klan.

Marching down our Main Street on the birthday of the man,

Who gave his life trying to set things right.

Like Dr. King, our town took a stand.

The only thing I’ve got in common, with the KKK,

We were both born in Pulaski, that’s all I’ve got to say.

But when our Tennessee town decided to shut down,

Brotherhood burned brighter than crosses that day.

Giles County won’t ever be perfect,

But by God they were gonna try.

If the birthplace of the Klan can change, so can I.

Oxford, 1962, Governor Barnette wants to start a Civil War.

Because  Sargent James Meredith, did something they hadn’t seen before.

All you could see were Confederate flags as he,

A black man, walked through Ole Miss’s front door.

Today I’m eating breakfast, not two miles from that very space,

Not two feet from a couple, in love, although they’re both a different race.

Plus a gay couple and a woman in a burqa,

And no one batted an eye in the whole place.

Mississippi, it sure ain’t perfect, 

But at least they’re trying too.

If Oxford, Mississippi can change, so can you.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Selma, Alabama, 1965.

George Wallace unleashed his troops, 600 marchers were lucky to stay alive.

But something changed that day, that gave hope for a better way.

And now today there’s an MLK Street you can drive.

None of these towns are perfect,

And none of us will ever be.

But if places like this can change, so can we.