In the early years of the Negro rebellion, it was common in this geographical area, to find Negroes floating in rivers. The KKK burning crosses, and the FBI's infiltration of groups, as the Black Panthers. Detroit the Poet's hometown had riots that were deadly. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, tragic as it was, is still remembered today, but not those little young people. The Viet NAM war could not cloud the killing of Negro leaders in America. The killing of Dr. King, and the writing of the poem reflex feelings of great disappointment. Mr. Randall saw the collapse of the stock market as a boy, share croppers who had nothing to share, and schools bombed to limit education of other Negro children.

It was the children of the sixties who grew their

The child's desire was to march on the streets of Birmingham rather than play. Her mother answered "no baby, no, you may not go," obviously because of the brutal treatment Negroes received for demanding their rights. The little girl insisted on being part of the march, and no harm would come to her, but mother dears' love and faith in God sent her to church. From the beginning of sit ins, early 1960's, someone, man, woman, boy or girl was always hurt by police while demonstrating.

The Ballad of Birmingham shows sixty-five years of conscious compassion for the plight of African Americans. The Ballad begins with a little young person addressing her mother as "Mother Dear," and concludes with the mother asking "where are you?" The love the mother felt shows in every word of the poem, while the march was such a horrible event.

The mother of the child in the Ballad of Birmingham, had every right to think her child would be safe, in a "sacred place, singing in the choir." How could she have known the child would meet her death in church. As we compare the period of the sixties to the nineties it is obvious the plight of African Americans has deteriorated. Our children today are shooting each other with the white man's guns, selling drugs they can't either grow nor manufacture.

Just as the mother in the Ballad of Birmingham found the church was not the safest place for her child, we must establish parameters, mentally and physical to eliminate the sophisticated societal ideals of the white man from our culture. Mr. Randall suggested a change of mind, not names, and change our life not clothes were needed. African Americans need to learn it is not where you live but how you live where you are. Attending a white private school does not change the hi

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Approximate Word count = 1192
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)