by Terrance Brown
Depictions of anger, terror, and fear
Drive normalcy to think the end is near
Love and religion retooled as hate
Causes us all to segregate
Hope, joy, and promise are stolen
As soon as we crossed the ocean
America the promise of new birth
Could this be the biggest lie on Earth?
Pain and sorrow become our new commerce
Puppet masters of media relish in mirth
We must begin to forge our own path
Control our destiny to minimize the aftermath
America, America, home of the free
What new future do we see?
America, America, home of the brave
America, land built by the slave
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ABOUT TERRANCE BROWN:: Terrance Brown serves as Dean, Potter College of Arts and Letters at Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Born in West Blocton, Alabama, Dr. Brown was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Louisiana State University. Relocating to Bowling Green in 2021, Dr. Brown quickly made a name for himself as a motivator, educator, and forward-thinking administrator. Dr. Brown has traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe as a concert artist, recitalist, and operatic artist. To learn more about Dr. Brown, read this fantastic interview he gave to Lamont Jack Pearley for WKU Public Radio’s The African American Folklorist.
ABOUT THE PINNED LOCATION: Dr. Brown dedicates his poem to the remembrance of the lynching in Russellville, KY., depicted in the New York Times on August 2, 1908. As the location of this terrible event falls just outside the boundaries of Bowling Green’s map, the pin was placed at the PCAL offices.
