"Democracy"

29 May 2020:

"Democracy"
Langston Hughes

Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.

Watch wikipedia change!

This is a pretty cool site to visit. You can watch people around the world edit Wikipedia entries in real-time (almost). I find myself using Wikipedia every day, sometimes several times a day. I used it in class today, in fact, to pull up an audio clip of "Dixie." (We were discussing Langston Hughes' "Song for a Dark Girl," which quotes lines from that song.)

I love the ethos of the entire Wikipedia project--people counting on other people to write reliable information. And for the most part, they get it right. It's neat to watch it happen right in front of you--and makes you realize there are real people with real interests (things they care enough to write about and edit) out there doing the work.

By the way, did you know that someone posted my dissertation on Wikipedia? That made me feel just a little bit famous. Then I got over myself. (And no, I have no idea who did it.)