Oath to Humanity

Stephen Finn/Adobestock

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

I hope for justice even when the arc bends toward injustice.
I hope for equity even when inequity is visible.
I hope for inclusion even when exclusion prevails.
I hope for peace even when chaos smiles.

I hope in God even when humanity feels deflated.

I pray for equality even when self-evident truths appear as a mirage.
I pray for liberty even when restriction lurks in the distance.
I pray for pursuit of happiness even when the cloud of daily despair hovers
I pray for life even when gore pierces the eyes of the oppressed.

I hope in God even when humanity feels deflated.

I strive for wisdom even when folly tries to usurp joy.
I strive for harmony even when dissonance shatters unity.
I strive for action even when inaction remains affirming.
I strive for humanity even when the uprising of hatred is on display.

I hope in God even when humanity feels deflated.

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times^TM.