He Rocked

We honor Martin Luther King,
A martyr to the nation’s cause
Of reinterpreting right thing
To mean more than the country’s laws,
Which sometimes ruled we couldn't wed
If offspring were to be crossbred.

In tandem, Lyndon Johnson signed
The Civil Rights Act, ‘64,
Which opened doors and left behind
Some hurdles black folks faced before:
Hotel accommodations, pools,
Employment, segregated schools.

To my mind, ranking just as high
Was impresario Dick Clark.
Taboos routinely he’d defy,
Advancing blacks who made their mark
Along with whites who rocked n’ rolled
On Bandstand, blackball decontrolled.

Out on its dance floor, lindy-hop
Gave way to Chubby Checker’s twist.
Same-color pairs would sometimes swap
And voilà, mixing in their midst
For viewers coast-to-coast to see,
And change their view on bigotry.