Racism
The poem is set during segregation, when there are marches and protests in the street demanding racial equality. In the early 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the most divided places in America. It was one of the cities Dr Martin Luther King had turned his attention to precisely because of its many discriminatory policies, which is why he had organized the Freedom March there.
Part of Dr King's movement involved encouraging children to take part in the marches. The little girl is hopeful that the marches can change things, and wants to be a part of this change. The mother is less hopeful, and does not believe her daughter will be safe at a march because she knows the is the ever present threat of violence there. She is particularly fearful that the police will use hoses, or worse, guns, at the march and that her daughter will be targeted because she is black.
Freedom Marches
One of the sub-themes of the poem is the Freedom Marches, and the conversation between the little girl and her mother tells us quite a lot about them. The little girl mentions that she will not be alone at the march and that she knows other children who will be there. This had been one of the goals of Dr King's movement, and encouraging children to take part in marches, and the fight for racial equality, was one of the primary focuses of the march in Birmingham.
Parental Protection
The central tenet of the poem is the mother's protective instinct. The mother is not unsupportive of the march, but she does not want her daughter to go because her primary objective is to keep her safe. She also wants to try to keep her daughter a little girl for as long as possible; she wants her daughter to play but her daughter is already thinking about far deeper subjects than playing. She also suggests she goes to church and sings with the Children's Choir which also keeps her involved in the activities of young children rather than allowing her to become involved in more grown up pursuits.
