My Old Kentucky home
We are more than Derby and horses and bourbon
Plain, outdated, old times that have left many feeling stuck and depressed
We are more than nostalgia reminiscent of a time where some sipped
Disappointment over chilled ice
Unwelcomed to enter the front door as if we were invisible
We were embarrassed and confused
Because this is our home too
Although at times we are conflicted
Kentucky is not a place where anyone should feel unwelcomed.
Home should never feel distant.
Our roots are here, the bluegrass and banjo are as familiar as the beat of the drums
Our ancestors tilled the land, you see we — we are Kentucky too.
At times we have felt upset and unsafe…Home should be peace
But in isolation, we felt stuck, as our families were sold down the river to an unfamiliar place
The blue waters washing them away
We never got a chance to say goodbye as we watched them drift into a land of nothing
We prayed that one day if lucky, we would see them again.
We continued to plant seeds and till the land even as we felt
Uncomfortable, uninterested, and depressed.
We had no songs to sing about the good days
There was no time for Black Joy, no time to be happy or gay,
We were left unamused and hopeless
Nervous and uneasy that at dawn we would be torn apart from the families we loved
We sing songs in a foreign land, adapting meant survival, trying desperately to cover our sadness with hymns
But there are times when it is OK to weep
You seem tears ain’t nothing but liquid prayers
And we prayed that one day things would be different
If not then, when?

When is the time for Kentucky to face itself?
If we are going to be disturbed, I urge you to be disturbed by injustice
Be disturbed by suffering
Be annoyed by inequity
Be riled up enough to ask yourself, “What can my old Kentucky home be?”
Perhaps now is a time for us to pause
There is nothing wrong with tradition
But there are some things that are old-timey and outdated
The danger is in remaining the same
The danger is in being afraid of improvement, in not meeting this moment that life has given us
The danger is in growing bored with fighting for change
The danger is in being ambivalent
People may be scared of change
Unsure of what the future holds
But by working together in community, that is the adventure
It’s what makes life fantastic, full of excitement and fun
It’s what makes Kentucky weird and different and different is OK
Who are we to be judgmental?
Our greatest failure would be refusing to notice the ebb of the tides
We are a community that must embrace change

We can turn our chaos to calm
We can be a Kentucky where everyone feels a sense of dignity
Proud to say that they are Kentucky too
And when the sun shines there will be a brightness all the way from Louisville to the hills of Appalachia
Everything and everyone basking in all their glory
We shall not remain in the darkness, we are not nocturnal people
Let us step out into the light, out into the warmth
As Thomas Merton said, “How do I begin telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun?”
We can be a state improved
A state where everyone feels safe
A state where all things are equitable
A state where we all feel peaceful
A state that builds policy with justice at the foundation
A state where my health is just as important as the health of my neighbor
A state where we all can thrive and be successful
A state where we understand it is in our gathering not our separation that we achieve greatness and growth
A state transfigured
We can make those who feel invisible, visible
A place where the oppressed, are free
Where those unwelcomed, feel comforted
That is a home – where people are trustworthy enough to call friend

Home should never be a distant place
Home is in our hearts
We carry Kentucky with us
Kentucky is us
This can be our old Kentucky home
If we desire it to be so
And finally, one day, all of us will feel at home…at last.