who are they?

I'm in Norman, Oklahoma at the New Baptist Covenant. While I am still trying to figure out what the New Baptist Covenant really is, I have enjoyed the discussion about race, religion, and the oppressed. Last night we were privileged to hear testimony from two contemporaries: Hanna Massad, a Palestinian Christian who lives in a "prison without bars" - the Gaza Strip, and Wilford Brown, a Tawakoni Native American who experiences the hidden American life. While I listened to these two men speak about life and expereince, I wrote a small poem baised on thier story.

Who are the oppressed?
They are the invisible;
those who hide from view,
those who hide from hearing.
These are the people living among
people who are hurting,
without voice - without advocacy;
people we see but never notice.
The Palestinian people,
who have been displaced by policy.
The American Indian,
whose lot is with endangered nature.
The victims of domestic violence,
whose shame keeps the blinds drawn.
The working poor,
whose labor makes our luxury possible.
"Whatever you did for the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."