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Reverend Jesse Jackson, an inspirational speaker of the civil rights movement in the United States, wrote a poem called “I Am Somebody,” to motivate black students in 1966. I am reproducing the poem here because I think we need to remind our government that there are still people whose voices, while unheard, still matter.

I Am Somebody
I Am Somebody
I May Be Poor
But I Am Somebody
I May Be Uneducated
But I Am Somebody
I May Be Unskilled
But I Am Somebody
I May Have Lost Hope
But I Am Somebody
I May Be Young
But I Am Somebody
I May Be On Welfare
But I Am Somebody
I May Be Small
But I Am Somebody
I May Make A Mistake
But I Am Somebody
My Clothes Are Different
My Face Is Different
My Hair Is Different
But I Am Somebody
I Am Black, Brown, and White
I Speak A Different Language
But I Must Be Respected
Protected
Never Rejected
I Am God’s Child
I Am Somebody