...................................Barack Obama.................Martin Luther King Jr.This poem was inspired by Barack Obama' election Campaign and his subsequent election as President of the United States of America, which represented the only time in history when all people came together as one, forget their differences and just celebrated with no prejudice.
Walking amidst the dark allies of the pass, their darkness concealing my complexion, Afraid to look up for fear, that the white of my eyes will betray my place of safety; Afraid of being discovered; making me vulnerable and a victim of those who fear the things that they don’t know or understand.
Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
Yeah, and then the son shown through and presented himself as a champion of justice, peace and love, Wiping away the mentality that allow injustice to divides us, prejudice to separate us and intolerance to motivate actions that hurts feelings, minds, and take life: a prejudice that cause its victims to suffer as well as the aggressor.
Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
Then came a better day, a day of discovery, a day that illuminated the dark allies of the pass and there I discovered that it mattered not that we looked different, that the shades of our skin, the contours of out faces, the colors of our eyes and our physical features are not the same,
Change have come, Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
We have come a long way; we were taught to look beyond our physical composition and peer into the each others souls and examine the content of the hearts and the quality of your character. Today we walk hand in hand constructing the future with bricks of peace, timbers of tolerance, columns of Joy, all supported on a foundation of love; love must be the basis of our existence.
Change have come, yesterday we could have but yesterday have long gone and cannot be change, today we did, the efforts of today charts the courses of tomorrow; for tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
Yeah, and then the son shown through and presented himself as a champion of justice, peace and love, Wiping away the mentality that allow injustice to divides us, prejudice to separate us and intolerance to motivate actions that hurts feelings, minds, and take life: a prejudice that cause its victims to suffer as well as the aggressor.
Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
Then came a better day, a day of discovery, a day that illuminated the dark allies of the pass and there I discovered that it mattered not that we looked different, that the shades of our skin, the contours of out faces, the colors of our eyes and our physical features are not the same,
Change have come, Yesterday we could have, today we did, tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
We have come a long way; we were taught to look beyond our physical composition and peer into the each others souls and examine the content of the hearts and the quality of your character. Today we walk hand in hand constructing the future with bricks of peace, timbers of tolerance, columns of Joy, all supported on a foundation of love; love must be the basis of our existence.
Change have come, yesterday we could have but yesterday have long gone and cannot be change, today we did, the efforts of today charts the courses of tomorrow; for tomorrow we must continue to be the people who are free to love each other regardless.
poignant reading.............. The Perfect Inaugural Ball
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine this Inaugural Ball for our President elect? It is a most
appropriate guest list that includes a lot of those who paved the way. Check it
out ...........
Guests began arriving early. There are no place cards and no name tags. Everyone
knows everyone else here. Now, there's a grand foursome - Malcolm X and Betty
Shabazz sharing laughs with Martin and Coretta Scott King. Looks like Hosea
Williams refused the limo again, keeping it real. And my goodness; is that Rosa
Parks out there on the dance floor with A. Phillip Randolph?
Seated at a nearby table, Frederick Douglass has a captive audience in W.E.B.
DuBose and Fannie Lou Hamer, and Medgar Evers has just joined them. Marian
Anderson was asked to sing tonight, but she only agreed to do it if accompanied
by Marvin Gaye, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. And there's Jackie Wilson and Sam
Cooke, looking like the "playas" that they are. Look, there's Harriet Tubman.
No one knows how she arrived, but there she is. And my guess is that, when the
time comes, no one will see her leave.
There's Jackie Robinson swiftly making his way through the hall as the crowd
parts like the Red Sea to the unmistakable sound of applause. "Run, Jackie,
run!" Along the way he is embraced by Jessie Owens. Three beautiful young women
arrive with their escorts - Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney. Ms. Viola Liuzzo flew
in from Michigan, exclaiming, "I could not miss this."
Richard Pryor promised to be on his best behavior. "But I can't make any
guarantees for Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley," he chuckled. Pearl Bailey made it
clear to all of them that she's not having it tonight! Joe Louis just faked a
quick jab to the chin of Jack Johnson, who smiled broadly while slipping it. We
saw Billy Eckstine and Nat King Cole greet Luther Van Dross and James Brown.
Josh Gibson stopped at Walter Payton's table to say hello.
I spotted Congressman Adam Clayton Powell of Harlem having a lively political
discussion with Eldridge Cleaver. Pearl Harbor WW II hero Dorey Miller shared a
few thoughts with Crispus Attucks, a hero of the Revolutionary War. And there is
Madam C.J. Walker talking with Marcus Garvey about exporting goods to Africa.
General Benjamin O. Davis flew into Washington safely with an escort from the
99th Fighter Squadron - better known as The Tuskegee Airmen. At the table on the
left are three formidable women - Shirley Chisholm, Sojourner Truth, and Barbara
Jordan - gathered for a little girl-talk... about world politics.
As usual, all the science nerds seem to have gathered off in a corner, talking
shop. There's Granville T. Woods and Lewis Latimer needling each other about
whose inventions are better. Someone jokingly asked Benjamin Banneker if he had
needed directions to Washington. And George Washington Carver was overheard
asking, "What, no peanuts?"
Dueling bands? Anytime Duke Ellington and Count Basie get together, you know the
place will be jumping. Tonight is special, of course, so we have Miles, Dizzy,
and Satchmo sitting in on trumpet, with Coltrane, Cannonball, and Bird on sax.
Everyone's attention is directed to the dance floor where Bill "Bojangles"
Robinson is tap dancing. Right beside him is Sammy Davis Jr., doing his
Bojangles routine. And behind his back, Gregory Hines is imitating them both.
Applause and laughter abound! The Hollywood contingency has just arrived from
the Coast. Led by filmmaker Oscar Micheau, Paul Robeson, Canada Lee, and Hattie
McDaniel, they find their way to their tables. Dorothy Dandridge, looking
exquisite in gold lamé, is seen signaling to her husband, Harold Nicholas, who
is standing on the floor with brother Fayard watching Gregory Hines dance. "Hold
me back," quips Harold, "before I show that youngster how it's done." Much
laughter! Then a sudden hush comes
over the room. The guests of honor have arrived.
The President and Mrs. Obama looked out across the enormous ballroom at all the
historic faces. Very many smiles, precious few dry eyes.
Someone shouted out, "You did it! You did it!" And Obama replied, "No sir, you
did it; you all - each and every one of you - did it. Your guidance and
encouragement; your hard work and perseverance..." Obama paused, perhaps holding
back a tear.
"I look at your faces - your beautiful faces - and I am reminded that The White
House was built by faces that looked just like yours. On October 3, 1792, the
cornerstone of the White House was laid, and the foundations and main residence
of The White House were built mostly by both enslaved and free African Americans
and paid Europeans. In fact, most of the other construction work was performed
by immigrants, many of whom had not yet become citizens. Much of the brick and
plaster work was performed by Irish and Italian immigrants. The sandstone walls
were built by Scottish immigrants. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that
The White House is, ultimately, The People's House, with each President serving
as its steward. Since 1792 The People have trimmed its hedges, mowed its lawn,
stood guard at the gate, cooked meals in the kitchen, and scrubbed its toilet
bowls. But 216 years later, The People are taking it back!
"Today, Michelle and I usher in a new era. But while we and our family look
toward the future with so much hope, we know that we must also acknowledge fully
this milestone in our journey. We want to thank each and every one of you for
all you have done to make this day possible. I stand here before you, humbled
and in awe of your accomplishments and sacrifice, and I will dedicate my
Presidency, in your honor, to the principles of peace, liberty and freedom.
If it ever appears that I'm forgetting that, I know I can count on you to remind
me." Then he pointed to me near the stage... "Ricky Toye, isn't it time for you
to wake up for work? Isn't it time for all of us to wake up and get to work?"
Suddenly I awake and sit up in bed with a knowing smile. My wife stirs and
sleepily asks if I'm OK. "I've never been better," I replied, "Never better.
It's gonna be a good day."
Congratulations to President Elect Obama and congratulations to the United
States of America!
Thanks for posting that very touching piece, my heart moved within me and I shed a silent tear. Thanks again.
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