In 1961 nine students
Crossed over the boundary line
Of segregation. Those students
Are known as the Tougaloo Nine.

The place: Jackson, Mississippi.
March 27, the day.
The long battle for civil rights
Had already been underway.

One student walked to the counter
And very politely asked for a book
That wasn't available elsewhere. Boy!
Did she get a ***** look!

The students were told they didn't belong there.
There would be trouble unless they departed.
They could go to the "colored" branch.
That is when the read-in started.

Arrested and taken to jail, the students
Couldn't call for legal assistance.
They were kept there overnight
And rudely grilled for their passive resistance.

Police were waiting with dogs by their sides
And clubs in their hands on the day of the trial
To roughen up the students' supporters
With some authoritarian bile.

In front of the library now stands
A freedom marker in recognition
Of nine who traveled the freedom trail
And faced bitter opposition.

Obstacles remain in the path.
The struggle is far from over. We must
Honor courageous people before us
And fight for laws that are fair and just.

-by Bob B (8-19-17)