Henry david thoreau told ‘em
Harriet beecher stowe told ‘em
Frederick douglass told “em
W.e.b.dubois told ‘em
Upton sinclair told ‘em
Ida tarbell told ‘em
Carl sandburg told ‘em
John steinbeck told ‘em
Martin Neimoller told ‘em
Mohandas gandhi told ‘em
Martin luther king told ‘em
Nelson Mandela told ‘em
Desmond tutu told ‘em
Thich quang duc told ‘em
Phil ochs told ‘em
Folk singers
Poets
Activists
Educators
Scholars
Workers
Prisoners
The oppressed of every race
Color
Sexual orientation
And creed told ‘em
It took an unseen virus right up the nose
And into the upper respiratory system to tell ‘em
That a tangled web of beliefs
Over time
In many places
Among disparate groups
can be harmful even fatal if swallowed