The poem speaks about the former
and present struggles of the African
American People. It cries out from
the hope of ancestor’s pasts to be
embraced by present and future
generations. Here is a segment of the
lyrics found in verse 2: Stony the road
we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn
had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have
not our weary feet. Come to the place
for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with
tears has been watered, We have come
treading our path through the blood of
the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy
past, till now we stand at last. Where the
white gleam of our bright star is cast.
The nation as a whole has changed
tremendously since the days that the
words of this song were written. Less
than a century ago, the United States
was plagued with racial injustice,
violence, and inequality. Some of the
most violent of attacks against African
Americans during this time happened in
Florida. From Rosewood to the Ocoee
Massacre, all around and in between,
discrimination was witnessed within
Florida’s borders.
The civil rights movement was a catalyst
for some of the modern changes
currently experienced by the African
American race. Though Black equality
was the focus, the movement and its
main leader, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., historically touch the lives of many
racial groups across America.
Winter Garden, a city once infused
with segregation and its own racial
tension has definitely made a 180
degree turn for the better. It is now
a city that embraces diversity and
acceptance. The town is now saturated
with different cultures and ethnicities.
As the city continues to grow and
expand, positivity is witnessed through
its social climate.
Winter Garden is portrait of Strength,
Faith, and Hope. These attributes
saturate the atmosphere and create
one-ness within the community. The
city is Ever Growing, Ever Changing
for the Betterment of all its Residents.