Katherine D. Tillman, "Color" (1902)
There is a silent majesty which speaks
From lives of noble men
Of every nation, tongue and clime,
Beyond malicious ken.
And men with countenance as black
As skies of midnight hue
May yet be men of highest type
Of manhood strong and true.
And shall a thing of color be
A certain mark of infamy,
And shall all merit be despised
That's seen thro' color-blinded eyes?
Believe with sturdy Burns,
Manhood depends on worth,
And scorn the prejudice that spurns
The dark-faced men of earth.
Published in Tillman's Recitations, 1902