Thanksgiving is here....the Holiday Season is upon us and how fast it came!! I can not believe that this year went so fast but it did and here we are, gearing up for the days of eating and fellowship with family and friends. Getting together with others whom we have not seen in a long time and walking town verbal paths of past times and old ways, things we used to do, should have done, and are going to do. As I look over the stories of Holiday cheer and excitement and the concern with the economic situation, something far greater than money concerns me and brings up something in my heart. Family and the lost opportunities that have passed us up to "right" the past or "get over" what once was.
I read an article on CNN.com (yes, I go there every day...20times a day!!lol) and the story was about families and those that are faced with challenges this season and every day before and after. Over 4.5 million people in America alone have the disease, Alzheimer's and deal with loss every day. As I read this story, I began to think about our own losses that we deal with. Imagine for a moment, you have shared your life with a family member or friend. Your whole life, you have spent time with this person, laughing, crying, celebrating, and growing with this individual whom you shared all your thoughts, or most, your dreams, ideas and they shared with you. Your feelings have been hurt and restored by them causing you both to grow even closer through all your experiences together. The love and relationship you share is so great, you count it a blessing to be in their life and they in yours. After many years, 20, 30, 40, 50, plus years of all of this, imagine you walk in to the room to see them again and hang out and they have no idea who you are. Wow. They don't remember any of those times, any of the laughs, tears, or years. They even fear you now because you act like you know them and they have no memory of ever meeting you. Reading this, realizing that our time is not our own rather it is God's and nothing is promised or guaranteed to us, I am reminded about those who we have a chance to speak to and don't, who we have a chance to enjoy and avoid. We get upset when it is too late, but God has given us the chances.
How many times has God presented us with opportunities to right the wrongs of the past and we ignore it, believing we have more time? How many times has God put the person or situation in front of us and we walked around it or turned the other way? We have a bag full of excuses we use to justify. "It wasn't my fault" "they need to apologize to me" "I will get to it eventually, I got time" "why do I always have to be the one to step up" "I don't owe them anything, they owe me" "there is nothing there anyways, what difference would it make" or my two favorites.."I ain't doing it, it ain't me" and "I don't even care either way".
We got the excuses but what we don't realize is we don't have the time we think, and the resolve we can gain is underestimated. We always blame and never except blame. We always put things off, never realizing we are the key. To answer all the excuses and the ones not listed..."Why?" ...because God said so and we all want heaven, the reward, well it comes with work. I remember one of my best friends dad past years ago and he called me on the phone to tell me and asked me to come by. At first I thought he was kidding because we always play jokes on each other and I was concerned because this was a little twisted. I realized he was not kidding and I rushed over. He sat there with a blank look and was angry as oppose to being sad at first. We went to his dad home to start the plans with his brothers and as we walked through the apartment, sadness started to kick in. The anger was because his dad was gone and he couldn't get him back, the sadness came because of the guilt he felt for not talking to his dad in a while and restoring a bruised relationship. I let him know that it's not too late, talk to him now. It may not be the same, and the healing took a while, but the process started there. How many times have we let that chance slip? The guilt, the pain, anger, and sadness we feel for not saying anything. It was the other persons fault until its too late, then it doesn't matter. It should not matter when you have the chance. We said "goodbye" to his dad that day, and entered in to a new way of viewing opportunities God gives us.
This Holiday season, you will at times be reminded of those family members and or friends for which you used the excuse to avoid. You will be confronted with and think about your opportunities that God has given you to resolve what ever it is that caused a separation. Think about those 4.5 million individuals that will never be able to remember, like you can, when things were good with an "old" friend or family member. They will not be able to smile at the good times, realize how they grew during the hard times, and know that God has blessed them with the love that still exist despite it all. Take a moment to pick up the phone, go to their home, interrupt their holiday season to show them that God is able and that you miss them. Show your family and their family that out of all the things that may have happened, no matter how strong the action was, or how great the pain is you felt, Love is still the greater of it all.
If Jesus was like us and felt like He could do what He was sent to do at a later time. Or felt that because others talked about Him, beat Him, and made fun of Him that it was not His problem to solve and decided to wait on us to get it right, where would we be? With Jesus choosing to follow through with His calling and fulfill His purpose, He gave us a chance, an opportunity. What will you do with yours?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Best & Worst of Both Worlds
It is a blessing being me. I get to see things in such a different light and God has really been good to me, beyond my best prayers. I have the fortunate opportunity of viewing the world from 2 sides and seeing the options and opportunities for both. One thing I have always tried to do as a writer and poet, and just as a person, is walk and talk with honesty and integrity. In doing so, as blessed as I am to be me and see the benefits of "both worlds" I have the unfortunate truth of facing the worst of them as well.
Just recently I read an article on CNN.com from an accomplished journalist who wrote an article about "Is America Ready?" speaking on the topic of if America is ready for a African American as President of the United States of America. She went through a series of thoughts she had on the topic and believed, as I do, that America is ready. In reading the article, there was a piece in it that spoke to the fact that racism still exsist, and it does. She wrote about the fact it becomes obvious when you see citizens at a rally for McCain and Palin shouting "Kill him" and "terrorist" in reference to Barack Obama. Now this is a reality, it did happen at a few rallies and it is truly sad that it has happened. In this reference, the journalist identifies this as the obvious signs that racism does exsist and it is a one sided reference. Racism does exsist, but it is not just because whites (who were the shouters at this rally and the subject of her reference) are speaking out and showing that they are still racist, or harbor some racist feelings towards blacks. It is not just whites who hate others for the color of their skin or the many other characteristics that make up a person. We have pointed the finger at whites on so many occasions as the driver of continued racism in our country when it is simply just not the case. (all the time) We protested and wanted the radio d.j., Imus, fired for making remarks towards the Rutgers Womens basketball team as "nappy headed hoes". We could not believe he could say this, and he had to be tried, judge, and sentenced based on our feelings. When he came back to radio, he made a reference to a black football player who was accused of a crime as being a victim of "racial profiling" and we didn't hear that...we heard. "he was black?...well there you go". We hear the white comedian from the Jerry Seinfeld show, make a reference to blacks as "niggers" in a stand up he performed at a club and there we were, trying him, judging him and provided his sentence to life out of the business. These two situations are just a few references of many, many more of how it is obvious that racism still exsist and it is not just whites who speak out about it. See, I don't believe that the D.J. meant anything racial towards those young ladies at all in his reference. I believe he was merely repeating what he has heard on the radio and T.V. . I also don't believe that the guy from Seinfeld meant anything hateful by his reference, again, just repeating what he heard. Now I do believe that these references may not have been the best for either one of them, but repeating what they here, assuming it was ok, and in fun may not be their fault.
I am a huge fan of comedy. Absolutely love it and on a good day, am a fairly comedic individual myself. I love to laugh and believe that laughing is a cure to many of life's challenges. I have watched so much comedy over the years on so many different shows and have laughed at most of them. (some just ain't funny) I have watched BET's comic view, HBO's Def Comedy Jam, stand ups, sitcoms, been to many comedy shows and just hung out with some funny people in life. In this, I have heard a wide range of comedy from being beat down for asking for some candy at the store to flying house shoes from the mama that doesn't miss. In some of the skits, many topics are discussed to include race and racial differences. In the performances, black comedians imitate white people in such a way that shows them to be upity, stuck up, scared of blacks and danger, white people. The voice is changed, the walk is changed and the attitude is changed. Whites are referred to as "honkeys" "crackers" "whitey" and several other names less "politically correct". They are talked about, put down and challenged to say the infamous "N" word.
On radio, t.v., movies, and magazines, blacks refer to eachother as every thing else but some thing that uplifts. In so called "black movies", whites are portrayed as inferior and submissive. Scared and disrespected. When a black is portrayed that way in a movie it is called "slave day" like or racist. Why is this the case? Why is it that on "black" programs, negative references and comments are welcomed and ok, even though it creates separation among people and how others are viewed, but on "white" programs it is cause to fire and dismiss? This is racism at its strongest.
The reality is this....there is racism in our country and some whites are a part/cause to that, however blacks contribute to it as well and are more open about it. How you ask? Take a look at some of the following:
A black republican is considered a sell out, a upper class black is considered upitty or an uncle tom. A poor black is considered ghetto, and a angry black is considered a thug. These are not stereotypes created by whites either. These are the labels that we gave to ourselves. The bible says clearly..."love your neighbor AS your self." It makes this reference in Leviticus, Matthew, Mark, and Romans. God instructs us to love yourself first, then and only then can you truly love your neighbors. How can we continue to speak to ourselves in such a negative way and then towards others and think that we are excluded from the hate that still exsist? The fact is racism has grown and comes in a different form now as oppose to before. Before, you would see it, hear it, feel it, every day in the streets and the way people spoke and the segregation that existed. Now, it has morphed in to the fabric of peoples lives. In others words, they don't feel that they are racist, yet they live and conduct themselves in a segregated fashion. The comments made, hint at racist tones, the actions speak to racist feelings, so much that it is not obvious to that person any more, it is just the way they are and how they were raised. That is why they feel they are not racist, they really don't know. For example, and this is not a plug for Obama, (this time) but in the second debate, McCain referred to Obama as "that one". Now, did he mean it in an outright, racist manner, I don't believe so, but it was disrespectful and hinted at racist undertones. Another example is when McCain was speaking to a member of the audience there who happen to be black and said to him, "I am sure before this economic crisis, you probably have never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie (Mac)" No deliberate intention, but just the way he is by nature. This is the state of our Country now. We don't believe we are, yet are feelings speak differently. How do we change this? How do we come from a place that has been born in the very essence of who we are? We face the truth. Why do we feel the way we do? Why do we treat others the way we do, good or bad? Anger is the root cause of it all. Blacks angry for slavery, and have carried that for all these years and feelings have been passed down, thoughts, ideas, and hate. No one in this generation has ever been a slave or owned a slave, yet we treat eachother as if they have. These feelings have come out in various acts of good and unfortunately some bad. Those bad actions have caused whites to become angry do to the acts being towards them in most cases. Over the past 3 decades however, those acts have been aimed at eachother. Now we stand at the crossroads of truth. Some whites do harbor hate and racist feelings, and the fact is, so do blacks. In some cases, as shown in those comedy shows, music, t.v., and magazines, blacks can be more racist at times, especially towards whites. This is an issue we have to face and have to be honest about. Now, of course this is not a reference to all whites or all blacks, but I said in the beginning, I try to walk in honesty and I have to face the Best and Worse of Both Worlds. I believe that the answer is in the scripture in Romans 13:9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. And... James 2:8 If indeed you [really] fulfill the royal Law in accordance with the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as [you love] yourself, you do well. We have to face the truth, learn from the mistakes and know that God has a better plan for us all. People are just different, they operate different, they think different, they look different, and approach things different. Does that mean one is better than the other? No, it means they are different. The thing that is the same? Love, we want to love and be loved. Success, we want to feel and be successful. Family, we want and need to be apart of family, something bigger than us. All of us are equipped to face this challenge it is time that we do. Why do we view people of other races the way we do? Is it what we heard on t.v.? Is it what other family members or friends have said that made up our mind? Is it what we don't know that causes us to fear and back away from wanting to know? One of these is the questions we all have to ask.
Why me? Who am I to talk about this issue? "he doesn't know" "He has a lot of nerve" "who does he think he is?" I have heard it all in the 33 blessed years I have lived. Who am I? A child of God who loves people with such passion that I have to talk about the truth. I have to get people to at least hear it to begin to try and face it. How do I understand? People look at me, in my face, at my skin and see what they want to see. They see what they have been trained to see over their life. They see what they think they have to see. However, what they do not see, and what many don't know is the history, the heritage, the fabric of who I am and what I am. What they don't see is regardless of the heritage, the life, the circumstances and event I have gone through and endured. The experiences that I have encoutered that has caused me great pain at times, and resulted in great joy with God's grace. The truth is the truth, I am who I am. People can see what they want, but if you are to caught up in who I am, then you miss out on who you can become. I told you, I have seen the Best and Worst of Both Worlds....only one way to do that, and the best that I have seen is an amazing and unbelievable thing we should all embrace. We will all be better for it. Racism is a terrible thing that has torn our country apart for far too long and hurt far too many people. Thousands have died to fight against it, to put an end to it. Has their efforts come to an end? Has the prayers gone up to be unanswered? I don't believe they have, I believe the time is now to start. How? By being different, being the example for others to follow, standing up for what is right, what God has asked of us. Loving despite the actions of others to allow God to work through you and in them. We start by looking in the mirror to change what we can change....first.
Just recently I read an article on CNN.com from an accomplished journalist who wrote an article about "Is America Ready?" speaking on the topic of if America is ready for a African American as President of the United States of America. She went through a series of thoughts she had on the topic and believed, as I do, that America is ready. In reading the article, there was a piece in it that spoke to the fact that racism still exsist, and it does. She wrote about the fact it becomes obvious when you see citizens at a rally for McCain and Palin shouting "Kill him" and "terrorist" in reference to Barack Obama. Now this is a reality, it did happen at a few rallies and it is truly sad that it has happened. In this reference, the journalist identifies this as the obvious signs that racism does exsist and it is a one sided reference. Racism does exsist, but it is not just because whites (who were the shouters at this rally and the subject of her reference) are speaking out and showing that they are still racist, or harbor some racist feelings towards blacks. It is not just whites who hate others for the color of their skin or the many other characteristics that make up a person. We have pointed the finger at whites on so many occasions as the driver of continued racism in our country when it is simply just not the case. (all the time) We protested and wanted the radio d.j., Imus, fired for making remarks towards the Rutgers Womens basketball team as "nappy headed hoes". We could not believe he could say this, and he had to be tried, judge, and sentenced based on our feelings. When he came back to radio, he made a reference to a black football player who was accused of a crime as being a victim of "racial profiling" and we didn't hear that...we heard. "he was black?...well there you go". We hear the white comedian from the Jerry Seinfeld show, make a reference to blacks as "niggers" in a stand up he performed at a club and there we were, trying him, judging him and provided his sentence to life out of the business. These two situations are just a few references of many, many more of how it is obvious that racism still exsist and it is not just whites who speak out about it. See, I don't believe that the D.J. meant anything racial towards those young ladies at all in his reference. I believe he was merely repeating what he has heard on the radio and T.V. . I also don't believe that the guy from Seinfeld meant anything hateful by his reference, again, just repeating what he heard. Now I do believe that these references may not have been the best for either one of them, but repeating what they here, assuming it was ok, and in fun may not be their fault.
I am a huge fan of comedy. Absolutely love it and on a good day, am a fairly comedic individual myself. I love to laugh and believe that laughing is a cure to many of life's challenges. I have watched so much comedy over the years on so many different shows and have laughed at most of them. (some just ain't funny) I have watched BET's comic view, HBO's Def Comedy Jam, stand ups, sitcoms, been to many comedy shows and just hung out with some funny people in life. In this, I have heard a wide range of comedy from being beat down for asking for some candy at the store to flying house shoes from the mama that doesn't miss. In some of the skits, many topics are discussed to include race and racial differences. In the performances, black comedians imitate white people in such a way that shows them to be upity, stuck up, scared of blacks and danger, white people. The voice is changed, the walk is changed and the attitude is changed. Whites are referred to as "honkeys" "crackers" "whitey" and several other names less "politically correct". They are talked about, put down and challenged to say the infamous "N" word.
On radio, t.v., movies, and magazines, blacks refer to eachother as every thing else but some thing that uplifts. In so called "black movies", whites are portrayed as inferior and submissive. Scared and disrespected. When a black is portrayed that way in a movie it is called "slave day" like or racist. Why is this the case? Why is it that on "black" programs, negative references and comments are welcomed and ok, even though it creates separation among people and how others are viewed, but on "white" programs it is cause to fire and dismiss? This is racism at its strongest.
The reality is this....there is racism in our country and some whites are a part/cause to that, however blacks contribute to it as well and are more open about it. How you ask? Take a look at some of the following:
A black republican is considered a sell out, a upper class black is considered upitty or an uncle tom. A poor black is considered ghetto, and a angry black is considered a thug. These are not stereotypes created by whites either. These are the labels that we gave to ourselves. The bible says clearly..."love your neighbor AS your self." It makes this reference in Leviticus, Matthew, Mark, and Romans. God instructs us to love yourself first, then and only then can you truly love your neighbors. How can we continue to speak to ourselves in such a negative way and then towards others and think that we are excluded from the hate that still exsist? The fact is racism has grown and comes in a different form now as oppose to before. Before, you would see it, hear it, feel it, every day in the streets and the way people spoke and the segregation that existed. Now, it has morphed in to the fabric of peoples lives. In others words, they don't feel that they are racist, yet they live and conduct themselves in a segregated fashion. The comments made, hint at racist tones, the actions speak to racist feelings, so much that it is not obvious to that person any more, it is just the way they are and how they were raised. That is why they feel they are not racist, they really don't know. For example, and this is not a plug for Obama, (this time) but in the second debate, McCain referred to Obama as "that one". Now, did he mean it in an outright, racist manner, I don't believe so, but it was disrespectful and hinted at racist undertones. Another example is when McCain was speaking to a member of the audience there who happen to be black and said to him, "I am sure before this economic crisis, you probably have never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie (Mac)" No deliberate intention, but just the way he is by nature. This is the state of our Country now. We don't believe we are, yet are feelings speak differently. How do we change this? How do we come from a place that has been born in the very essence of who we are? We face the truth. Why do we feel the way we do? Why do we treat others the way we do, good or bad? Anger is the root cause of it all. Blacks angry for slavery, and have carried that for all these years and feelings have been passed down, thoughts, ideas, and hate. No one in this generation has ever been a slave or owned a slave, yet we treat eachother as if they have. These feelings have come out in various acts of good and unfortunately some bad. Those bad actions have caused whites to become angry do to the acts being towards them in most cases. Over the past 3 decades however, those acts have been aimed at eachother. Now we stand at the crossroads of truth. Some whites do harbor hate and racist feelings, and the fact is, so do blacks. In some cases, as shown in those comedy shows, music, t.v., and magazines, blacks can be more racist at times, especially towards whites. This is an issue we have to face and have to be honest about. Now, of course this is not a reference to all whites or all blacks, but I said in the beginning, I try to walk in honesty and I have to face the Best and Worse of Both Worlds. I believe that the answer is in the scripture in Romans 13:9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. And... James 2:8 If indeed you [really] fulfill the royal Law in accordance with the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as [you love] yourself, you do well. We have to face the truth, learn from the mistakes and know that God has a better plan for us all. People are just different, they operate different, they think different, they look different, and approach things different. Does that mean one is better than the other? No, it means they are different. The thing that is the same? Love, we want to love and be loved. Success, we want to feel and be successful. Family, we want and need to be apart of family, something bigger than us. All of us are equipped to face this challenge it is time that we do. Why do we view people of other races the way we do? Is it what we heard on t.v.? Is it what other family members or friends have said that made up our mind? Is it what we don't know that causes us to fear and back away from wanting to know? One of these is the questions we all have to ask.
Why me? Who am I to talk about this issue? "he doesn't know" "He has a lot of nerve" "who does he think he is?" I have heard it all in the 33 blessed years I have lived. Who am I? A child of God who loves people with such passion that I have to talk about the truth. I have to get people to at least hear it to begin to try and face it. How do I understand? People look at me, in my face, at my skin and see what they want to see. They see what they have been trained to see over their life. They see what they think they have to see. However, what they do not see, and what many don't know is the history, the heritage, the fabric of who I am and what I am. What they don't see is regardless of the heritage, the life, the circumstances and event I have gone through and endured. The experiences that I have encoutered that has caused me great pain at times, and resulted in great joy with God's grace. The truth is the truth, I am who I am. People can see what they want, but if you are to caught up in who I am, then you miss out on who you can become. I told you, I have seen the Best and Worst of Both Worlds....only one way to do that, and the best that I have seen is an amazing and unbelievable thing we should all embrace. We will all be better for it. Racism is a terrible thing that has torn our country apart for far too long and hurt far too many people. Thousands have died to fight against it, to put an end to it. Has their efforts come to an end? Has the prayers gone up to be unanswered? I don't believe they have, I believe the time is now to start. How? By being different, being the example for others to follow, standing up for what is right, what God has asked of us. Loving despite the actions of others to allow God to work through you and in them. We start by looking in the mirror to change what we can change....first.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Long Overdue Letter.......
1 Kings 8:57 says, May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us.
My Dear Beloved Ancestors;
I know this letter has been long overdue, and for that I (we) apologize. I (we) will not attempt to use the excuse that things have been rough or just too busy, I (we) can not use those terms in a letter to you. I will simply say that I (we) just overlooked the need for this letter to you, so I (we) will send it to you now.
I (we) witnessed something this week that words can not fully or respectfully describe to give the full meaning and feeling that comes from it. On November 4Th, 2008 at approximately 10:01pm (CST), the citizens of The United States of America elected Barack Obama as our next President, thus becoming the first African American to be elected to this office in our Nation's History. For this occasions, and the countless other, such a letter to you is needed to simply yet humbly and with the greatest respects, say "Thank you". I (we) may not ever fully grasp the extent of this event as it relates to our Nation's long and challenging history. As I watched the announcement and realized just what had taken place, a rush of emotions came over me that I could not fully explain other than to say it was "a moment". My generation is a younger generation that did not have to see many of the things that you and many others have had to as it relates to slavery and racism. I like to believe I am a fan of history, mainly because I believe that if you don't know where you were, you can not begin to understand where you are going and why, so my insight to what has taken place in the past is based on what I read and heard from older generations. As I watched the t.v. I saw Rev. Jesse Jackson, who I am sure as you have watched over us throughout the generations, you are familiar with him, he was overtaken by tears that poured down his face and I began to feel what he may have been thinking, and what drove me to write you this letter. He was there, 50 plus years ago to witness the hate, the racism, and the segregation that controlled our country and he is there now, to see what so many, including himself have fought for. What you, my dear Ancestors, have fought for. Thanking you, I feel, is not even enough to show how much what you did means to all of us and what impact your efforts still have today. I was reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream Speech" when I watched Barack Obama speak to the crowd of thousands in Chicago, Illinois as he thanked them for what "they" did and what we are going to do going forward. He looked over a crowd of diverse backgrounds and a promising future and it spoke volumes to who he was really addressing. In Dr. King's speech, he said the following:
"I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. "
Then he said: "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."
Dr. King's Dream never made reference to being President and I believe it is because if his dream was to be fulfilled as he had hoped, an African American becoming President was to be birthed out of his dream and the dream for our Country. His Dream, and his intent out of that dream brings us to this historic moment.
I thought about the story of Moses when God told Moses to take them out of the land of Egypt to freedom. In Egypt, they were enslaved yet they were upset when they got to the land of promise because nothing happened right away. They felt they had more back in Egypt. As they waited, they became more upset and spoke out against Moses, questioning why he brought them there. As we look at our Nation's history, we know that you were brought here, my dear ancestor's, as slaves from a land where it seemed you had more. You were brought here and the journey was not a journey you would, or any one would ask for. Once here, you spoke out, you stood up, you stood your ground, but your faith in something greater never waiver ed despite the defeats you suffered to include death. In the end, like with Moses and those he brought out, God, as always provided the promise. Through suffering comes victory and it is your suffering that has brought us the biggest victory since the end of slavery. This victory is not the end of the road, rather the start of a new beginning and a new journey, but it is a journey that we would not have had if it had not been for what you did.
Thank you my beloved Ancestor's for your sacrifice and determination. Thank you for your example of the kind of people we should be and by showing us what kind of God we serve. You lost your lives, your families, friends, your homes, children, spouses, freedoms, but never your faith, never your dignity, never your pride, and never your spirit. It is that spirit that I (we) need even now as we enter this new journey, walking out the victory that Barack called "yours" and I believe he was referring to you, ancestors. Thank you Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Harriett Tubman, Nat Turner, Henry Thurman, W.E.B. Dubois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimke, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Louis Farrakhan, Alex Haley, the countless numbers of slaves who died in the battles, the numerous African Americans who pressed forth in the Civil Rights movements and sacrificed their lives for the right to freedom. Thank you to the thousands of whites who sacrificed their own freedoms to bring about justice and fairness. My dear ancestor's, with out you, there would be no "us". Your greatest gift followed that of the God you and i (we) serve in that Jesus gave up His life to bring others back to God. He gave up His life for millions He did not even know, and He did it in front of people that did not care about Him, nor wanted Him to exist. You have given us that same example and it is because of that, I believe that God has provided so greatly to those of us you were thinking about. You gave your life for millions you did not know and did so in front of those who did not care about you. We care, we thank you and we love your for it.
It is often said that what we now call the "new school" does not appreciate or respect the sacrifice that was made by you and the "old school" that has been around the last 50 plus, years. I would like to discredit that myth and say that we greatly appreciate what you did, and we are taking the torch and following your example. That example is to not complain with out a solution, not protest with out a purposed result, not debate with out an answer, not fall if we don't plan on getting up, and not waiver with out supporting each other. We, the new school, believe in just pressing forward in spite of, to achieve what you died for us to achieve. Barack Obama has done that and his election, the birth, from the Dream being realized, is the start of a new direction for our country and all those within. My dear Ancestor's, please know that no matter how far we go, no matter how well we do, it is not of our own works, but it is a gift from God, and we consider you those gifts, never to be taken away, never to be forgotten, always to be loved.
Please forgive me (we) for the tardiness of this letter, and I hope you receive it in love and know that our journey is not over, but made easier because of you. Your victory is continuing to be won and it is my (our) honor just to be included in the celebration. Thank you my beloved Ancestor's, thank you for your sacrifice and your unending love.
With love....
Your Descendant(s)
My Dear Beloved Ancestors;
I know this letter has been long overdue, and for that I (we) apologize. I (we) will not attempt to use the excuse that things have been rough or just too busy, I (we) can not use those terms in a letter to you. I will simply say that I (we) just overlooked the need for this letter to you, so I (we) will send it to you now.
I (we) witnessed something this week that words can not fully or respectfully describe to give the full meaning and feeling that comes from it. On November 4Th, 2008 at approximately 10:01pm (CST), the citizens of The United States of America elected Barack Obama as our next President, thus becoming the first African American to be elected to this office in our Nation's History. For this occasions, and the countless other, such a letter to you is needed to simply yet humbly and with the greatest respects, say "Thank you". I (we) may not ever fully grasp the extent of this event as it relates to our Nation's long and challenging history. As I watched the announcement and realized just what had taken place, a rush of emotions came over me that I could not fully explain other than to say it was "a moment". My generation is a younger generation that did not have to see many of the things that you and many others have had to as it relates to slavery and racism. I like to believe I am a fan of history, mainly because I believe that if you don't know where you were, you can not begin to understand where you are going and why, so my insight to what has taken place in the past is based on what I read and heard from older generations. As I watched the t.v. I saw Rev. Jesse Jackson, who I am sure as you have watched over us throughout the generations, you are familiar with him, he was overtaken by tears that poured down his face and I began to feel what he may have been thinking, and what drove me to write you this letter. He was there, 50 plus years ago to witness the hate, the racism, and the segregation that controlled our country and he is there now, to see what so many, including himself have fought for. What you, my dear Ancestors, have fought for. Thanking you, I feel, is not even enough to show how much what you did means to all of us and what impact your efforts still have today. I was reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream Speech" when I watched Barack Obama speak to the crowd of thousands in Chicago, Illinois as he thanked them for what "they" did and what we are going to do going forward. He looked over a crowd of diverse backgrounds and a promising future and it spoke volumes to who he was really addressing. In Dr. King's speech, he said the following:
"I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. "
Then he said: "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."
Dr. King's Dream never made reference to being President and I believe it is because if his dream was to be fulfilled as he had hoped, an African American becoming President was to be birthed out of his dream and the dream for our Country. His Dream, and his intent out of that dream brings us to this historic moment.
I thought about the story of Moses when God told Moses to take them out of the land of Egypt to freedom. In Egypt, they were enslaved yet they were upset when they got to the land of promise because nothing happened right away. They felt they had more back in Egypt. As they waited, they became more upset and spoke out against Moses, questioning why he brought them there. As we look at our Nation's history, we know that you were brought here, my dear ancestor's, as slaves from a land where it seemed you had more. You were brought here and the journey was not a journey you would, or any one would ask for. Once here, you spoke out, you stood up, you stood your ground, but your faith in something greater never waiver ed despite the defeats you suffered to include death. In the end, like with Moses and those he brought out, God, as always provided the promise. Through suffering comes victory and it is your suffering that has brought us the biggest victory since the end of slavery. This victory is not the end of the road, rather the start of a new beginning and a new journey, but it is a journey that we would not have had if it had not been for what you did.
Thank you my beloved Ancestor's for your sacrifice and determination. Thank you for your example of the kind of people we should be and by showing us what kind of God we serve. You lost your lives, your families, friends, your homes, children, spouses, freedoms, but never your faith, never your dignity, never your pride, and never your spirit. It is that spirit that I (we) need even now as we enter this new journey, walking out the victory that Barack called "yours" and I believe he was referring to you, ancestors. Thank you Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Harriett Tubman, Nat Turner, Henry Thurman, W.E.B. Dubois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimke, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Louis Farrakhan, Alex Haley, the countless numbers of slaves who died in the battles, the numerous African Americans who pressed forth in the Civil Rights movements and sacrificed their lives for the right to freedom. Thank you to the thousands of whites who sacrificed their own freedoms to bring about justice and fairness. My dear ancestor's, with out you, there would be no "us". Your greatest gift followed that of the God you and i (we) serve in that Jesus gave up His life to bring others back to God. He gave up His life for millions He did not even know, and He did it in front of people that did not care about Him, nor wanted Him to exist. You have given us that same example and it is because of that, I believe that God has provided so greatly to those of us you were thinking about. You gave your life for millions you did not know and did so in front of those who did not care about you. We care, we thank you and we love your for it.
It is often said that what we now call the "new school" does not appreciate or respect the sacrifice that was made by you and the "old school" that has been around the last 50 plus, years. I would like to discredit that myth and say that we greatly appreciate what you did, and we are taking the torch and following your example. That example is to not complain with out a solution, not protest with out a purposed result, not debate with out an answer, not fall if we don't plan on getting up, and not waiver with out supporting each other. We, the new school, believe in just pressing forward in spite of, to achieve what you died for us to achieve. Barack Obama has done that and his election, the birth, from the Dream being realized, is the start of a new direction for our country and all those within. My dear Ancestor's, please know that no matter how far we go, no matter how well we do, it is not of our own works, but it is a gift from God, and we consider you those gifts, never to be taken away, never to be forgotten, always to be loved.
Please forgive me (we) for the tardiness of this letter, and I hope you receive it in love and know that our journey is not over, but made easier because of you. Your victory is continuing to be won and it is my (our) honor just to be included in the celebration. Thank you my beloved Ancestor's, thank you for your sacrifice and your unending love.
With love....
Your Descendant(s)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Will We Make History This Week?
Tuesday 4 November 2008 is a day in which History can be made and will be made either way. If we elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden, history will be made as Obama will become the first African American elected to be President of the United States. If McCain and Palin are elected, he would be the oldest elected and she, the first woman Vice President in our nations history. So either way, history is going to be made.
This is a huge moment in our Nations History and can not be overlooked or understated. As a Country, we have come a long ways and yet have a long way to go. To look back and think that just 50 years ago, and less....blacks were not able to dine in the same place as whites. Even the right to vote was not fully applied. The right to vote was put in to place back in 1870, stating any one of any race can vote however there was no law prohibiting individuals from stopping others (blacks) from voting and violence was even tolerated to keep blacks from voting. This was only resolved in 1965 and Tennessee excepted the ratification only in 1997 after rejecting it in 1869. So the history of just voting is still some what new and to have the ability to vote and elect an African American as President speaks volumes to the past and those who sacrificed and died to push for equal rights. This is a moment in time when, regardless of your race, regardless of your background, regardless of your current feelings, you have to take a moment and take notice to what is happening. Through hope brings change and through change brings growth and through growth brings possibilities.
I am so excited about this election for many reason and at the same time am reminded of the challenges we face ahead. Our country is changing and to many, change is hard to except, but needed. Some say that to be critical of our Country is to be Non-American, however to be critical is to care. In a marriage or any relationship, if you care about each other, you would want to bring out the best in each other and sometimes that means to challenge the worst in one another. Our Country is no different. Our Country has a history of mistakes and a history of greatness. You can not have one without the other. In our history of mistakes, we have learned from them and we will continue to learn, so be critical, expect the best out of our Country and expect the best out of those who represent it. This election is a chance to represent the best of our Country and show that we DO learn from the mistakes of the past and are prepared to right those wrongs, no matter who is at fault.
If Obama is elected, it is not a victory for just African Americans, though the joy will be undeniable and the feelings will run deeper than ever before. The past will be present, the shoulders we have stood on will be replaced by our own and the cried tears of the past can begin to change to cries of happiness. His victory is a victory for our Country, for whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Indians, and every other race present. He represents the change in direction and the goal of the past that many from every race fought for. This is a chance to stand proud and know that we have come a long way.....at the same time we are mindful that we have a long way to go, but we are on the right path. Either way....History will be made and no matter who you support, it is a victory for our Country with either candidate, so regardless of who wins....don't stop the momentum, don't give up and forget about our goal. Continue to hope, continue to change, continue to grow and continue to grab the opportunities before us. Like those before us understood about us, it is OUR children's lives who depend on what we do now.
This is a huge moment in our Nations History and can not be overlooked or understated. As a Country, we have come a long ways and yet have a long way to go. To look back and think that just 50 years ago, and less....blacks were not able to dine in the same place as whites. Even the right to vote was not fully applied. The right to vote was put in to place back in 1870, stating any one of any race can vote however there was no law prohibiting individuals from stopping others (blacks) from voting and violence was even tolerated to keep blacks from voting. This was only resolved in 1965 and Tennessee excepted the ratification only in 1997 after rejecting it in 1869. So the history of just voting is still some what new and to have the ability to vote and elect an African American as President speaks volumes to the past and those who sacrificed and died to push for equal rights. This is a moment in time when, regardless of your race, regardless of your background, regardless of your current feelings, you have to take a moment and take notice to what is happening. Through hope brings change and through change brings growth and through growth brings possibilities.
I am so excited about this election for many reason and at the same time am reminded of the challenges we face ahead. Our country is changing and to many, change is hard to except, but needed. Some say that to be critical of our Country is to be Non-American, however to be critical is to care. In a marriage or any relationship, if you care about each other, you would want to bring out the best in each other and sometimes that means to challenge the worst in one another. Our Country is no different. Our Country has a history of mistakes and a history of greatness. You can not have one without the other. In our history of mistakes, we have learned from them and we will continue to learn, so be critical, expect the best out of our Country and expect the best out of those who represent it. This election is a chance to represent the best of our Country and show that we DO learn from the mistakes of the past and are prepared to right those wrongs, no matter who is at fault.
If Obama is elected, it is not a victory for just African Americans, though the joy will be undeniable and the feelings will run deeper than ever before. The past will be present, the shoulders we have stood on will be replaced by our own and the cried tears of the past can begin to change to cries of happiness. His victory is a victory for our Country, for whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Indians, and every other race present. He represents the change in direction and the goal of the past that many from every race fought for. This is a chance to stand proud and know that we have come a long way.....at the same time we are mindful that we have a long way to go, but we are on the right path. Either way....History will be made and no matter who you support, it is a victory for our Country with either candidate, so regardless of who wins....don't stop the momentum, don't give up and forget about our goal. Continue to hope, continue to change, continue to grow and continue to grab the opportunities before us. Like those before us understood about us, it is OUR children's lives who depend on what we do now.
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