Loans, Clubs, Platinum Cards and My Other Civil Rights
By Sinohui

Here we are in the year 2003
There are things we've carried for so long
Burdens like misplaced disks in my spine,
Restlessness you feel when you can't sleep at night
I wasn't alive to see Dr. King fight for civil rights
I know I'm not that old but I can still remember to last week

I've been to the good schools
In First grade drawing swastikas with the other kids because I thought they
were cool
Mrs. Orr tried to send me to special Ed to get my poor English accent out of
her room
Even though when tested I was above and beyond her favorite students
Still I wasn't accepted to the GATE program
I must admit that, of the world Mrs. Orr taught me a lot
But she shouldn't get all the credit there were many other teachers too
Like policies, beaner jokes, job opportunities,
Dead and living war veterans
With some recognition and next to nothing else

When was the last time platoons were color-coded?
Today
We've gone from being people of color to constituents
Chess pieces used to play word games like
democrats and republicans
In 1977 congress enacted the Credit Reinvestment Act to prevent red lining
Hopefully, no more of our grandparents will be refused home financing
Indeed, now we occupy both sides of the railroad tracks
After all ethnic groups have always been the majority
The white majority only exists in politics and reruns on TV
Where ethnic kin can be out of sight and out of mind
Or just the latest trend on CNN
I witnessed racism evolving from the color of skin
To the color of your credit card and FICO score
Our rights shouldn't come down to
Paper or plastic
Like old treaties, black voting rights and garbage bags
Since you refuse to look at me and love me
I will not trade racism of skin for racism of the dollar
Those two go hand in hand in a single file to not see the one behind the other

Here we are in the year 2003
There are things we've carried for so long
Burdens like misplaced disks in my spine,
Restlessness you feel when you can't sleep at night
I wasn't alive to see Dr. King fight for civil rights
I know I'm not that old but I can still remember to last week

In honor of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
And all my dead and living kin,
In racism the issue is about inequity not skin
We can't give up on unfinished dreams
Don't call me what you will
That's not your right
Just give me equal access to
Loans, clubs, platinum cards and my other civil rights