Welcome to Empowering Spirits - Freeing Your Mind A not for profit site about embracing one
race the Human Race living in the 21st Century offering articles tackling developing spiritual principles, ecomonics, politics. Dialog and Analysis about today's topics and history. Freedom of expression challenges us to reach higher to fufill a broader purpose. "My people perish for lack of knowledge" Stay open to change and have the willingness to grow & evolve.
As I sit gazing upon the path I've took the little girl all grown up. Struggling to raise the babies their grown; to have loved amazing men - gone astray; raised by the wisest sassiest - sistahs every produced on by this planet too many to name; Grandma still holds her claim to fame; It continues to be an amazing journey each day.
Today I can appreciate the good times; Respecting the bad. Made a vow never to repeat those things my mission is pressing on to evolve as a mature woman transforming change. Like a Butterfly free from her cocoon. Change my mind place my focus on productive things.
Life is a struggle day to day; but by measuring the accomplishments I celebrate even the small things.
Then when I pray Why God? He replies why not? Dusts me off stands me back up!
He heals me from within; wipes my tears reassures my doubts; uncovers real pain to prepare a way.
Wow, I don't believe he brought me this far! So to keep me inspired I ask GOD to reveal to me; asking myself this question when times get hard.
Are you a Survivor only or do you seek to live life?
He reveals to me a person who only lives to survive I will offer just enough to get by day to day. Based on such low expectations and unexcuted plans.. But, my love if you seek to live life and live it more abundantly, once again what are you waiting for take up your cross and follow me. Requires shedding all vanity!
I reply following you gets harder and harder by the day; my answer is to love life expecting to achieve more and more. Each day I live life I get more than what I bargained for, I meet new people; appreciate the priceless moments only a full life can bring. Survivor's may press on each day with hope but if I walk the walk as good as I talk the talk I will achieve more than just enough.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for Tho art with me; Thy Rod and Thy staff comfort me...
THREE THINGS THAT MAN CAN'T ESCAPE: 1. Lust of the eyes; 2. Lust of Flesh; 3. Pride of Life Great Pride often comes before a fall....... Obedience is better!
WORD OF THE DAY!
Hebrews 4:12-13 -12: The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together (MAN). 13: There is nothing that can be hid from GOD; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves. Hebrews 6:17-20 - 17: To those who were to receive what he promised GOD wanted to make it very clear that he would never change his purpose; so he added his vow to the promise. 18: There are these two things, then, that cannot change and about which God cannot lie. So we who have found safety (me and others) with him are greatly encouraged to hold firmly to the hope placed before us. 19: We have this hope as an ANCHOR for our lives. It is safe and sure, and goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple ( behind the vale) into the inner sanctuary. 20:On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek. Today I offered up the blog below but I used a beautiful photo that reflects roses, gold, and a lil bling too... Point is it was censored to it's destruction. I was so infuriated I even sent MB an email which I don't do. But It's just a witness to what I've been saying to you all since I begun blogging here on ISC. Freedom of Expression should be a right especially if you are mindful of the type of content being sent over cyberspace. Take responsibility for what you say think before reacting and always, always come under authority. Sometimes being right isn't always for public consumption but how a person reacts does reflect character. Coming under authority even on this site whether or not I agree with how it's done because I am free to express fully the words to encourage others or inspire just from the reaction to my blogs. I was getting comments back before I could read them the blog was destroyed literally. So often people who are envious of anothers gift will do things like this. Hateration big time. GOD said, not me; Man can't stop what he has blessed or ordained, and when He moves and wanted this message out then guess what.. I conformed to their policy took out the web address on the photo. But not any MAN in human form bigger than "GOD" the Father. So please enjoy reading this blog; My photos are used here to grab/capture the readers attention who usually scan but doesn't often read become interested in the content of my blogs.. This ain't for entertainment or fame. I'm not getting a dime out of this. Weapons of MASS Destruction is the cause of Most People problems... Wickedness is inbred meaning that we all have sinned and do so on a daily basis it has no color basis. AS HUMANS we need to stop beating up on one another and trying to make one feel that perfection exist. It doesn't in this dimension. It exists, but we all must REPENT even you my friend. It's a WE Ministry only knowing GOD for yourself and with Jesus as your advocate in heaven meaning you must come to a point in your life to accept CHRIST in your heart. That's definitely a case by case basis. But not one of us even my Bishop can claim perfection this is what we strive for into eternity. WMD is the tongue once we learn to control it and LOVE one another color won't matter..... not one bit! Speak LIFE to loved ones and friends instead of lies, rumors, and gossip. Stop trying to straighten out someone else's business and work on your own. My take on it is that even during these hard times unemployment rising, foreclosures, homelessness; the celebrity sites are booming with gossip about Chris Brown and Rhinna whatever her name is.. In other words even if the grass looks greener in your friends backyard just stay focus on you and work on the grass in your own yard. Put energy into showing respect for others and a kind word from time to time. This is dedicated to ISC help desk and the person who doesn't like pretty pictures. :) More to Come! This repost goes out to those who still believe that negative words can't incite people to a level of riot we have to get to a place where we understand the power of our speak and how much truth is spoken in ignorance the breathes life to violence or our own self destruction. Take time before you speak to understand the power you hold as insignificant as you may think your words may come across to whatever group of people you hang out with and value your opinion{s}. Be mindful that when you prophesy or project negative words turn it around. It's just this simple if you can't say anything nice; don't say nothing at all. Speak life into life, stop hating long enough to listen and discern what makes sense vs. what is just mean spirited; ignorance; and wasted energy. These are the same folks who say they are Pro Life, but want wars to go on in countries where children are in the direct line of fire. In the mid-east where history was born. These are the people who believe in the same Jesus I believe in yet they forget is last commandment " John 15 15 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples. 9Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends.and lastly, this how I can prove what you speak out of your mouth goes from their to GOD's ears. Watch Out Now!!! Colossians 3 3 1If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. 5Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; 6for which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: 7wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things; 8but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth: 9lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, 10and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. 12Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Lovleeannwise
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7) Key Thought: Fear knocked at the door Faith answered. No one was there.
Many years ago I listened as a friend of mine who was sharing in a anonymous meeting he was very articulate making his remarks before our group. He told us prior to getting clean the one thing he feared most was change, but being a man meant standing perpendicular before GOD and when he had made a decision to turn his will and life over to the care of GOD that replaced all of his fear. Then he said something that most people don't say in those closed meetings instead using the term "God of my understanding" or "Higher Power" he said Jesus Christ. The room was quiet as he spoke loudly and boldy and later those comments changed the way people viewed him they began to refer to him as a "Spiritual Giant" he begged to differ by responding to them by simply saying "I'm no spiritual giant but there is a GIANT in my spirit."
That takes a lot of courage for anyone to admit to have any fears publicly, but as humans all of us do experience fear on some levels especially when a change is comin!
We often become complacent or get comfortable with our lives then don't realize that when we aren't challenging ourselves often we become stale, staggnate, and we stunt our growth. It's like eating the same thing for dinner every other day because it's routine quick and easy then on Saturday you treat yourself to fast food at McDonalds at the same spot order the same thing and every time it tastes good until one day it loses the appeal and taste. Another analogy would be to wear the same hairstyle everyday for a period of time never change the way you comb it even part your hair the same place. (The Condolessa Do) The hair style that used to get compliments somehow appears dull and played out.
Change comes often and people evolve just as quickly as the seasons change. We work hard at perfecting a routine with our friends, lovers, or spouses only to look up one day and find that they have drifted off in another direction and many times instead of accepting the fact we either run or walk quickly in the opposite direction because we lose the stamina to embrace them where they are at and the same thing holds true when we experience changes in our lives a need to shift gears or do something different to improve ourselves. We can also shift into reverse gear and do some things that destroy our character and ruin relationships.
But one thing that is constant in change, if nothing changes, nothing changes. As the saying goes where ever you go there you are. So you can't be afraid of what we understand or don't understand in life or death, sometimes it has no explanation. So many of us are never prepared financially, mentally, or spritually and the end result is devastation.
When we are young their is a feeling that we will live forever or are invincible, can leap tall buildings in a single bound. As we mature and experience life we get some hard knocks and realize that some of those buildings just a tad to steep to leap across. Thats when we become more practical in some cases but people just ignore facts. Some die young or live miserbly because they foolishly believe they can trick life and end up being the trick.
Pay now or pay later, the bill is always in the mail and one day you'll have to pay. So if you're living in a comfort zone, maybe it's time to raise the bar a little, you can always become better - strive for change. Remain teachable, humble, and loveable. Never be afraid to embrace change - because if you are living a fruitful life you can surely count on eternal peace when you exit the building (your body) a living temple.
We never know what GOD's plan is for us - remember that it's okay to make the plans but you can never plan the outcome. Faith and hope is your best weapon for overcoming fear. Prayer is your insurance policy. Love is unconditional so keep an open heart and willingness, and stand determined to face the challenges of life.
Even when your down it feels like hell in the hallway but remember just because you might be down but dont' count yourself out. Look straight up and stand perpendicular to GOD. Fear not. As Human beings we fall short and have many shortcomings but GOD has never failed or come up short it's impossible. I'll prove it; isn't it a fact that we can count on the sunrise and sunset. A fact we know that there is a moon and that will always come out in a way shape or form. We know that the seasons will change and we always prepare for those changes. Same holds true as humans we go through many seasons in life, but If we can trust GOD to do all of that for nature and the universe then we can trust in Him to see us through any changes that affect our lives today.
Just for today, we can hope for a tomorrow and plan ahead. But no matter how it all turns out we embrace it with humility, knowing it was HE without beating our chest in vain glory.
Our faith shows us what we cannot see.
An idea begins with a thought and then is brought forward into reality. An artist sees the painting in his mind before it ever touches the canvas. He touches the canvas until what was inside of his mind sets before him and the passion makes him more eager to bring it forth. Imagination is just an image in our mind we decide when begin - to make it a reality. Most of us go to bed at night convinced that surely they are waking up in the morning and that's okay too. That's called having faith.
Faith without works is dead being alone - change should not be feared but reveared. It takes courage to color outside the lines step outside the box- change is an inside job with you the indivdual and often has a ripple effect on others.
Change allows you the luxury of knowing whose sincerely committed to you because whoever stays around to see that person evolve til the end are the ones you usually come to love and trust. These are the people who are not afraid to be honest with you right or wrong, good or bad. They are your mirror, mirror on the wall. Always have one friend that won't lie to you even when it hurts and you can be reciprocal in love, spiriit, and truth. Nine times out of ten this is the person you probably have even taken for granted along the way.
Embracing Change brings you face to face with love, love of self, life, and GOD.
From Encarta AfricanaKwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins on Dec. 26 and continues through Jan. 1. The name of the holiday comes from the Swahili words matunda ya kwanza, which mean "first fruits." The holiday's roots are in harvest celebrations that are recorded from the earliest periods of African history. These celebrations bear various names that reflect the languages of the societies that have celebrated them as well as those that still celebrate them, including Pert-en-Min in ancient Egypt, Umkhosi in Zululand, Incwala in Swaziland, Odwira in Ashantiland, and Odu Ijesu in Yorubaland.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 in the United States by Maulana Karenga, an activist/scholar who is currently professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Rooted in ancient African history and culture, Kwanzaa was developed in the modern context of African American life and struggle as a reconstructed and expanded African tradition. It emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s and thus reflects the movement's concern for self-determination, a "return to the source," and the reaffirmation of African identity and culture.
Moreover, Kwanzaa is founded and framed in Kawaida philosophy, which stresses cultural grounding, value orientation, and an ongoing dialogue with African culture—both continental and diasporan—in pursuit of paradigms of human excellence and human possibility.First celebrated by members and friends of the Organization Us (meaning us African people), which Karenga chairs, Kwanzaa is currently celebrated by an estimated 26 million people on every continent in the world.As explained in Karenga's 'Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture,' Kwanzaa is organized around five fundamental kinds of activities that originate from ancient African harvest or first-fruit celebrations.These activities are (1) the ingathering of the people to reinforce the bonds between them, especially the bonds of family, community, and culture; (2) special reverence for the Creator and creation in gratitude for the bountifulness and goodness of the earth and in commitment to preserve and protect it; (3) commemoration of the past, to fulfill the obligation to remember and honor ancestors and to teach and reaffirm the mission and meaning of African history; (4) recommitment to the highest African cultural values — ethical and spiritual values that bring forth the best of what it means to be African and human; and (5) celebration of the good of life — that is, the good of family, community, and culture; of relationships; of old age and youth; of knowledge and sharing; of work and wonder; and of all things of benefit and blessing.
At the heart of the meaning and activities of Kwanzaa are the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles), which Karenga developed to reaffirm and strengthen family, community, and culture. These principles are umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles and is organized around activities and discussion to emphasize that principle.
At each evening meal during Kwanzaa, family members light one of seven candles to focus on the principles in a ritual called "lifting up the light that lasts." This lifting-up means upholding the Nguzo Saba and all the other life-affirming and enduring principles that reaffirm the good of life, enrich human relations, and support human flourishing. In addition to the mishumaa saba (seven candles), the other basic symbols of Kwanzaa are the mazao (crops), symbolic of African harvest celebrations and of the rewards of productive and collective labor; the mkeka (mat), symbolic of tradition and history and therefore the foundation on which to build; the kinara (candleholder), symbolic of ancestral roots and the parent people, or continental Africans; muhindi (corn), symbolic of children and the future of African people that they embody; the kikombe cha umoja (unity cup), symbolic of the foundational principle and practice of unity that makes all else possible; and zawadi (gifts), symbolic of the labor and love of parents and of the commitments made and kept by children.
There are also two supplemental symbols: a representation of the Nguzo Saba and the bendera (flag), which contains the colors black, red, and green. These colors are symbolic, respectively, of African people, their struggle, and the promise and future that come from their struggle. A central and culminating event of the holiday is the gathering of the community on Dec. 31 for an African karamu (feast). The karamu features libation and other ceremonies that honor ancestors, narratives, poetry, music, dance, and other performances to celebrate the goodness of life, relationships, and cultural grounding.
Kwanzaa ends Jan. 1 with the Siku ya Taamuli (Day of Meditation), which is dedicated to sober self-assessment and recommitment to the Nguzo Saba and all other African values that reaffirm commitment to the dignity and rights of the human person, the well-being of family and community, the integrity and value of the environment, and the reciprocal solidarity and common interests of humanity. One way that persons conduct this self-assessment is to ask themselves three questions: Who am I? Am I really who I am? Am I all I ought to be? In this way, they measure themselves in the mirror of the best of African culture and history and recommit themselves to standards and practices of human excellence that reflect and support those cultural ideals.
article written by Dr. Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga
THE FOUNDER
Dr. Maulana Karenga Creator of KwanzaaChair, The Organization UsChair,
The National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO)
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Kwanzaa for Kids
Share the glories of this African-American holiday at home with your childrenRich in cultural and historical information about people of African descent, Kwanzaa is a perfect tradition to share with children.
Created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach, it’s a celebration that brings African-Americans together, acknowledges our talents and achievements, and reveres the Creator. The holiday, observed from December 26 through January 1, reinforces basic values--the Seven Principles, termed Nguzo Saba in Swahili--that support the African-American community.
Kwanzaa continues to gain recognition, with more than 15 million people worldwide now celebrating it. To me, Kwanzaa is how you live, how you make a commitment to your Black culture," says Eric Copage, author of Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking (Quill; $15). "I got involved with Kwanzaa because of my son. I was looking for a way to instill in him a positive sense of his African-American heritage."
Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of the children’s book Seven Candles for Kwanzaa (Dial; $15.99), has a number of tips for parents who want to share Kwanzaa with their children. While not every tip is tied to a specific Principle, they all celebrate the spirit of the holiday.
* Savor important family moments. Pinkney recalls, "One year we made a memory quilt. We designate one person as the maker of the quilt, and each person brings fabric from something that’s important to her. Each person’s piece of fabric is incorporated into the quilt. Our quilt contains a piece of my daughter’s christening gown and a piece of the sweater I wore when I went into labor with my daughter."
* Pay homage to our loved ones. Pinkney suggests, "We’ve done an ancestral circle where we get together as a family, light a candle, and form a circle around it." Pinkney explains how this works: "When the spirit moves you to speak, call out the name of someone who has passed on, and say something nice about them." This ritual is especially suitable for older children.
* Preserve the traditions of Kwanzaa. There are many tools used to celebrate Kwanzaa, and children can help make them. Pinkney suggests, "Kids can use construction paper to make the traditional Kwanzaa mats that are used for holding fruit and corn."
* Teach your child the importance of community support. "My family has made an ’Ujamaa box,’ " says Pinkney. (Ujamaa, Swahili for Cooperative Economics, is the Fourth Principle: "to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and profit from them together.") "We help the children find and cut out pictures of Black icons--everyone from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Oprah--and paste them on the box. Throughout the year, we all put money in the box, and during the holiday season, we use the money to make a purchase at a Black-owned business in the community." Pinkney adds, "This year we plan to donate the money to charity."
* Celebrate with music. Many types of music are an integral part of African-American culture. Pinkney shares her family’s way of celebrating our rich musical tradition: "Throughout the year, we encourage the kids to collect songs that they like. Each child chooses a spiritual, we help them get the words, and we put all the songs together to make a hymnal. Then we get together as a family and sing the songs."
* Encourage and express creativity and talent. Pinkney suggests, "Let the kids put on a little show; they can perform a puppet show with finger puppets that they make." (The Sixth Principle--Kuumba, or Creativity--encourages us "to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.")
* Share family memories. Remembering the past is a crucial part of celebrating Kwanzaa.
written by Tonya Adams who is the channel producer of Feel at Home
What is Kwanzaa? juiceenewsdaily - 4 hours agoKwanzaa (sometimes spelled Kwaanza) is a week-long secular holiday ...
Kwanzaa Recipe WatchGreens With Smoked Turkey, Apples and Walnuts3 tbsp walnuts, pieces2 tbsp sugar8 cups red leaf lettuce, torn into small piecesRead Entire RecipeMore on BV’s Cooking Board
"One nation under GOD, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All"
If you just take a look at the Pledge of Allegiance you can see as a Nation we still fall short for we are very divisive according to race, gender, and religion. Technically speaking it's two (2) America's! One for the haves and the other well, is not the have nots but the have need of..........
Watching the debates from incumbents seeking to hold the job of CEO of USA is chilling and humorous at the same time. Listening to how they all would "change" the way Washington Politics are done. Getting more accomplished here in America. Even universal health care system that will potentially make us all sick. Just from the red tape it will bring and penalties for not having it. My take is nobody is sure how we will get out of this current recession. Spending tax rebates is there only solution to date. But, lets go deeper...............
The mainstream media has declared John McCain the front runner for the Republican Party and their nominee although Huckabee and Mitt Romney both seem to have a better strategy of getting things done to save US economy. Huckabee is a strong candidate because in spite of them stuffing John McCain down the GOP constituency throats and convincing them that he's their man for the job he stated that in a democracy you must have opposing positions in order for "the people" to all feel that they have participated in the process.
The Democratic Party is pulling a totally different stunt in order to get their "establishment selection" a shot at winning the nomination. If McCain can barely win in South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the rest and be proclaimed the "Front runner", then WHY is the DNC afraid and mainstream media outlets to proclaim Barack Obama as Democratic as it's Front runner. It took 10 consecutive wins in Key states Potomac Primaries, South Carolina, Iowa, and the like if you look at the numbers statistically without Super Delegates he's still the in the lead for the nomination. But, loyalty to previous Administration "The Clinton's" has prevented this historical debut of what everyone is feeling. Barack Obama is the peoples choice overwhelmingly and he's winning the hearts and minds of ALL Americans not just the so called "Black vote," Obama managed to run a good campaign without any scandals or people being fired or resigning. He has managed his campaign funds which is a good indication of the kind of leadership he can bring to the US and abroad.
He has proven based on his qualifications alone the ability to lead, being mulatto gives him the ability to see the world from a whole different pair of eyes, uniquely he has what it takes to UNITE this country whose main theme is hung on "with liberty and Justice for ALL," and "O say does that star spangled banner yet wave?"
Not for the Middle class and Impoverished people. America is home for all Nations and Nationalities but we have not evolved as a people enough to stop hatred, hunger, and basic neglect of our country. Our children of the 21st Century also have different pair of eyes. We need a fresh and new approach to the way we do business here in our Nation. If we really are a land of Christians we need to ask ourselves are we Christ-like as a people. To often you see polls about women over 50, White men under 30, Black Men under 25 death toll, and Latino who are here illegally. We categorize and compartmentalize way too much and never do we research our information being feed to us via various media outlets, but now we have the Internet which allows the whole world to see. IF we are the example of what a Nations is supposed to be like, how it's suppose to look. We have failed we aren't looking so great.
We do have a chance to become a more powerful Nation if we can UNITE as it is written in biblical scripture, "a house divided against itself shall not stand." Our Nation has to put a end to bigotry against race, religion America is where you have the Freedom to believe and practice any religion. We need to have more open forums and town halls to discuss these issues and work on a solution collectively. White have to open up to the idea that all are supreme beings made by GOD as you see HIM and understand HIM to be. Stop being a silent racist open your circle of friends to include people other than your race. Don't let fear prevent you from being a blessing or receiving one.
Muslims are being stereotype and we fear or become skeptical about anyone whose religion is Muslim. WHY? Look, when you live in a glass house you can't throw no stones.
If a man can call himself a GOD fearing Christian blood washed holy and sanctified and believes in the right to life and has so much passion about it that they it moves them to go out in protest and blow up a clinic with expectant mothers in the name of GOD or a Tim McVeigh who blows up a building in broad daylight that housed a Daycare Center in the name of Waco and Ruby Ridge didn't make our friends abroad scared of those radical extremist Christians.
What if the world turned against Christianity? Already you have people who want to change how we practice our faith at Christmas, and Pledge of Allegiance they want to take GOD out of everything. Gays and Lesbians now have the right to marry.
We all get on our high horses and want to pass judgment on people who are different or look different from us. Bottom line, we are all guilty of silent bigotry. But, when you hear politicians say but their are some good Muslims who aren't radicals. Well, you can say that about any number of groups from all persuasions.
Why? Or is the question; How do we learn from our past mistakes and embrace this change? My answer is simple we have got start with our thinking to becomeindivisible . I have friends from different towns, cities, parts of the world who call themselves Americans and are good and decent individuals. As expected we do have different beliefs culturally speaking from mine but it makes our friendship that much richer because we are sharing experiences and growing up together. Finally, too many people died for our right to Vote, people lets take up our places and UNITE. We are a family, you never get to choose family just gotta love em! But you can choose your friends and how you look at life think positively about embracing change. Remember no change comes without sacrifice and struggle. Each one teach one!
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming ... - 2006 - 594 pages
On the 80th anniversary of the Oscars, have Blacks finally arrived in Hollywood or does the struggle continue? EBONY profiles 70 box-office heavy hitters in Hollywood and offers advice on red carpet fashion for various body types.
Two Sides: Do you have to go to church to be a Good Christian?“Yes. The church remains a force for political and social change,” said Rev. Clarence L. James Sr., who is founder/president of Youth Leadership Development Programs and national evangelist of the Prince of Peace Sanctified Baptist Church in Chicago. “No. Organized Black religion is failing,” wrote Haki R. Madhubuti, poet, founder and publisher of Third World Press and University Distinguished Professor and director of the Master of Fine Arts Program at Chicago State University.
Divided America» Links to this discussion Earl BlackCo-Author, "Divided America" Thursday, February 21, 2008; 12:00 PM Earl Black was online Thursday, Feb. 21 at noon ET to take your questions on his book "Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics" -- coming out in paperback March 25 -- and why no matter who wins the Democratic primary, the prospects of a general election landslide for either party are slim.
Black is a professor of political science at Rice University. He has written several books with his brother, Emory University government and politics professor Merle Black, about the transformation of Southern politics.
____________________ Earl Black: Good afternoon. This is Earl Black, co-author with my brother Merle Black of Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics. Simon & Schuster will publish the paperback edition of this book next month.
_______________________ Harrisburg, Pa.: I understand and agree with you that politically Americans are very divided. What happens if the voters are divided even further, meaning that a "leftist" candidate (such as a Nader) and/or "rightist" candidate (such as a Ron Paul or a Tancredo) further divide this divided population? Who is more vulnerable to being divided further, the Democrats or the Republicans?
Earl Black: Divided America shows that the national party battle is the product of two competitive minority parties. Neither party can win national elections simply by uniting their partisans and turning them out. Many of the 50 states are generally safe for one of the major parties. Democrats rely on tremendous support in the Northeast and Pacific Coast, and Republicans rely on tremendous support in the South and Mountains/Plains. But these regional strongholds don't add up to national majorities. The Midwest is the nation's swing region, and Ohio would be the most important swing state in the Midwest.
Splinter candidacies (right or left) might be very important in a few states where the party balance is very competitive. Nader's campaign in Florida in 2000 might well have taken enough votes from the Democrats to affect the outcome. In most states, one party usually has a large enough advantage to win despite third parties.
_______________________ Laurel, Md.: When I was growing up, the Senate included a few liberal Republicans like Charles Matthias, Lowell Weicker and Jacob Javitts, and some conservative Southern Democrats. In my opinion, this allowed a certain breadth to the political process because every issue wasn't necessarily both ideological and partisan. There was a measure of the spectrum a couple of years ago that determined that it has become almost one-dimensional. Robert Byrd (closest thing to an old-fashioned Southern Democrat anymore) and Lincoln Chaffee were the outliers that roughly defined the second dimension. Does the fact that the parties have little internal breadth make compromises more difficult?
Earl Black: As we show in Divided America, both parties today are much more ideologically pure than before. Conservative southern Democrats are a good example. That was the dominant pattern before the civil rights revolution and the Reagan realignment of the 1980. But no conservative southern Democrats could win a Democratic primary today. Similarly important shifts have made it very difficult to nominate moderate to liberal Republicans across the country. The consequence is very stark partisan and ideological differences in which many elected officials in national politics spend much time responding to the latest partisan outrage. As you point out, this ideological purity in Congress really does make compromises more difficult.
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This past weekend while sitting at my computer listening to a Radio tribute to the late Dr. Martin Luther King courtesy of AOL Radio, Mind you I have only heard snipets of speeches given by Dr. King prior to 1968. This oratory was given two months before his asassination. He spoke about war, racisim, false prosperity, and where we were headed as a nation. It was so eleoquent and prophetic 38 years later. Today, we are facing the same issues with no true leadership from our politicians, our government, or within our own community. We all in some way, shape, or form are faced with the need to be recognized. A need to become a success while most of us make it our mission in life to become prosperous. That's a wonderful achievement even while in pursuit, but at what price? Is it to serve or to be self serving in order to gain recognition for greatness. Why are we the major consumers in America? Black american's always know how to look propserous even while living in a poor economy. Even if we don't have a dime in our pockets we manage to always "represent." This blog does not focus on gossip, politics, or gender bashing unlike most sites who offer tentilating topics to capture the attention. Empowering Spirits - Freeing your mind is a positive outreach - a cry for the black community to appreciate our heritage. To give a glimpse at the wealth of knowledge, culture, the arts and entertainment links for which we have plenty. I offer this to a deaf and dumb community, but I will continue to post my blog as a community service to my brothers and sisters young or old. It's time we all wake up and look around us. Many of us look to religion, sex, drugs, or varcariously live our lives through the life of others. Instead of digging deep inside of ourselves to realize our own GOD given strengths and gifts. Reality is that if you don't examine where we have been how you gonna know where you are going. Enjoy Black History everyday. If you are like minded you will enjoy reading this speech and maybe you'll come away with a better understanding of what greatness truly means.
With much Love, Shelle' Moderator
The Historic "Drum Major Instinct Speech" was delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968. MLKEC.
This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’"
And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, "But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."
The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, "Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne."
Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.
And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the drum major impulse or the drum major instinct.
Now in adult life, we still have it, and we really never get by it. We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it. Now if you don't believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised or when our name is in print is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don't deserve it and even if they don't believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. (That’s right) But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.
Now the presence of the drum major instinct is why so many people are "joiners." You know, there are some people who just join everything. And it's really a quest for attention and recognition and importance. And they get names that give them that impression. So you get your groups, and they become the "Grand Patron," and the little fellow who is henpecked at home needs a chance to be the "Most Worthy of the Most Worthy" of something. It is the drum major impulse and longing that runs the gamut of human life. And so we see it everywhere, this quest for recognition. And we join things, overjoin really, that we think that we will find that recognition in.
Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain)
In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you're just buying that stuff. (Yes) That's the way the advertisers do it.
I got a letter the other day, and it was a new magazine coming out. And it opened up, "Dear Dr. King: As you know, you are on many mailing lists. And you are categorized as highly intelligent, progressive, a lover of the arts and the sciences, and I know you will want to read what I have to say." Of course I did. After you said all of that and explained me so exactly, of course I wanted to read it. [laughter]
But very seriously, it goes through life; the drum major instinct is real. (Yes) And you know what else it causes to happen? It often causes us to live above our means. (Make it plain) It's nothing but the drum major instinct. Do you ever see people buy cars that they can't even begin to buy in terms of their income? (Amen) [laughter] You've seen people riding around in Cadillacs and Chryslers who don't earn enough to have a good T-Model Ford. (Make it plain) But it feeds a repressed ego.
You know, economists tell us that your automobile should not cost more than half of your annual income. So if you make an income of five thousand dollars, your car shouldn't cost more than about twenty-five hundred. That's just good economics. And if it's a family of two, and both members of the family make ten thousand dollars, they would have to make out with one car. That would be good economics, although it's often inconvenient. But so often, haven't you seen people making five thousand dollars a year and driving a car that costs six thousand? And they wonder why their ends never meet. [laughter] That's a fact.
Now the economists also say that your house shouldn't cost—if you're buying a house, it shouldn't cost more than twice your income. That's based on the economy and how you would make ends meet. So, if you have an income of five thousand dollars, it's kind of difficult in this society. But say it's a family with an income of ten thousand dollars, the house shouldn't cost much more than twenty thousand. Well, I've seen folk making ten thousand dollars, living in a forty- and fifty-thousand-dollar house. And you know they just barely make it. They get a check every month somewhere, and they owe all of that out before it comes in. Never have anything to put away for rainy days.
But now the problem is, it is the drum major instinct. And you know, you see people over and over again with the drum major instinct taking them over. And they just live their lives trying to outdo the Joneses. (Amen) They got to get this coat because this particular coat is a little better and a little better-looking than Mary's coat. And I got to drive this car because it's something about this car that makes my car a little better than my neighbor's car. (Amen) I know a man who used to live in a thirty-five-thousand-dollar house. And other people started building thirty-five-thousand-dollar houses, so he built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house. And then somebody else built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house, and he built a hundred-thousand-dollar house. And I don't know where he's going to end up if he's going to live his life trying to keep up with the Joneses.
There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. (Make it plain) And that's where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one's personality to become distorted. I guess that's the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn't harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that—you know, and I'm sure you've met them—that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. (Amen) And they just boast and boast and boast, and that's the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.
And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. (Yeah, Make it plain) And if you're not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don't really know. (Amen) They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.
And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don't feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. (Yeah) And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.
And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, (Glory to God) he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. (Amen) And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. (Make it plain) And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.
Now the other problem is, when you don't harness the drum major instinct—this uncontrolled aspect of it—is that it leads to snobbish exclusivism. It leads to snobbish exclusivism. (Make it plain) And you know, this is the danger of social clubs and fraternities—I'm in a fraternity; I'm in two or three—for sororities and all of these, I'm not talking against them. I'm saying it's the danger. The danger is that they can become forces of classism and exclusivism where somehow you get a degree of satisfaction because you are in something exclusive. And that's fulfilling something, you know—that I'm in this fraternity, and it's the best fraternity in the world, and everybody can't get in this fraternity. So it ends up, you know, a very exclusive kind of thing.
And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) I've been to churches, you know, and they say, "We have so many doctors, and so many school teachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church." And that's fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers—they ought to be in church. But they say that—even the preacher sometimes will go all through that—they say that as if the other people don't count. (Amen)
And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he's a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he's a Ph.D. (Yes) The church is the one place that the school teacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he's a lawyer. And any church that violates the "whosoever will, let him come" doctrine is a dead, cold church, (Yes) and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.
When the church is true to its nature, (Whoo) it says, "Whosoever will, let him come." (Yes) And it does not supposed to satisfy the perverted uses of the drum major instinct. It's the one place where everybody should be the same, standing before a common master and savior. (Yes, sir) And a recognition grows out of this—that all men are brothers because they are children (Yes) of a common father.
The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one's thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. And that's the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.
Now the other thing is, that it leads to tragic—and we've seen it happen so often—tragic race prejudice. Many who have written about this problem—Lillian Smith used to say it beautifully in some of her books. And she would say it to the point of getting men and women to see the source of the problem. Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior. A need that some people have to feel that they are first, and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first. (Make it plain, today, ‘cause I’m against it, so help me God) And they have said over and over again in ways that we see with our own eyes. In fact, not too long ago, a man down in Mississippi said that God was a charter member of the White Citizens Council.
And so God being the charter member means that everybody who's in that has a kind of divinity, a kind of superiority. And think of what has happened in history as a result of this perverted use of the drum major instinct. It has led to the most tragic prejudice, the most tragic expressions of man's inhumanity to man.
The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I'm in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking—calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point—that was the second or third day—to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning.
And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, "Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You're just as poor as Negroes." And I said, "You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you're so poor you can't send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march."
Now that's a fact. That the poor white has been put into this position, where through blindness and prejudice, (Make it plain) he is forced to support his oppressors. And the only thing he has going for him is the false feeling that he’s superior because his skin is white—and can't hardly eat and make his ends meet week in and week out. (Amen)
And not only does this thing go into the racial struggle, it goes into the struggle between nations. And I would submit to you this morning that what is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy. And if something doesn't happen to stop this trend, I'm sorely afraid that we won't be here to talk about Jesus Christ and about God and about brotherhood too many more years. (Yeah) If somebody doesn't bring an end to this suicidal thrust that we see in the world today, none of us are going to be around, because somebody's going to make the mistake through our senseless blunderings of dropping a nuclear bomb somewhere. And then another one is going to drop. And don't let anybody fool you, this can happen within a matter of seconds. (Amen) They have twenty-megaton bombs in Russia right now that can destroy a city as big as New York in three seconds, with everybody wiped away, and every building. And we can do the same thing to Russia and China.
But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. "I must be first." "I must be supreme." "Our nation must rule the world." (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I'm going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.
God didn't call America to do what she's doing in the world now. (Preach it, preach it) God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it. And we won't stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. (Amen) The God that I worship has a way of saying, "Don't play with me." (Yes) He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, "Don’t play with me, Israel. Don't play with me, Babylon. (Yes) Be still and know that I'm God. And if you don't stop your reckless course, I'll rise up and break the backbone of your power." (Yes) And that can happen to America. (Yes) Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"
But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.
I know a man—and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him.
Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.
This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It's the only way in.
Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself,
"What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)
I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes)
I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen)
And that's all I want to say. If I can help somebody as I pass along, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong, Then my living will not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a Christian ought, If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, If I can spread the message as the master taught, Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.
Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968. MLKEC.
courtesy of: http://www.blackwebportal.com/
An Appreciation: Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) By Jelani Cobb, Special to AOL Black Voices Coretta Scott King
Born in Alabama, Coretta Scott King graduated form Antioch College and the New England Conservatory of Music.
When the young Coretta Scott sang publicly, she stood erect and clasped her hands before her, a model of grace, quiet self-assurance and refinement. Those who were fortunate enough to witness her performance had a unique window into the next five decades of her life.
Historian Darlene Clark Hine has written that black women leaders have a long tradition of "dissemblance" -- constructing a public persona that serves the race's need for an "ideal black woman" and simultaneously leaving the true individual protected from the antagonism of a racially hostile society. The recognized faces of Mary Church Terrell or Ida B. Wells-Barnett or Ella Baker as the representative of the race leave us wondering generations later, who Ida or Mary or Ella really was. The paradox is that the more we see of this individual, the less we actually know about her.
We saw a great deal of Coretta Scott, perhaps more than anyone else in these years and with her death we are not only left bereft of our most vital link to Martin, but also made profoundly aware of how little we knew or understood her. The third act of her life -- the one that followed her years as an Alabama farm girl and as a famous preacher's wife, the one that began on April 4, 1968 -- was a public performance that she played with the same grace, quiet self-assurance and refinement.
Photo Gallery
King's Life in Photos
If you were able to get beyond the official Coretta, you would have seen the woman whose roots lay in rural Alabama. Her family, unlike most other black Alabamans, owned their own land. But Coretta Scott was not a product of the rural gentry. Few would have known that the closest thing to a first lady of black America had grown up picking cotton. Few would have known that she continued to reside in the same working-class community where she and Martin had lived together.
She was a graduate of Antioch College pursuing a graduate degree in music when Martin King, the brash, smooth-tongued city boy from Atlanta cold-called her. King had been given her number by a mutual friend and within moments got her to agree to have lunch with him. Coretta endured the open hostility of Martin's father (who had selected another woman for him to marry) and his wedding-day attempt to dissuade them from going through with their marriage plans. As a young wife, she struggled with Martin's refusal to agree with her desire to use her education outside the home (an issue that, interestingly enough, also became a source of conflict between Betty Shabazz, who held a nursing degree, and her husband Malcolm X.)
Beyond the grinding daily pressure of class expectations and confinement to the role of wife and mother, Coretta was married to a man who essentially knew from age 26 his pursuit of justice would lead to a violent death. Any doubts about that possibility were erased during the Montgomery Bus Boycott when their home was bombed. There were other burdens too.
It was Coretta whom J. Edgar Hoover's FBI sought to turn into King's Achilles heel. In 1965, the agency sent audiotapes of King's sexual liaisons with other women to Coretta as a means of derailing the leader and thereby the movement. The actual toll of this is unknown and perhaps unknowable, though years later Coretta wrote that such matters in a union between soul mates are ultimately inconsequential -- a profound statement of commitment and love one suspects was written by official Coretta.
Coretta Scott King was frequently compared to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and on the surface the comparison was apt. Both women were thrust into history by the assassination of a husband whom history has regarded as a great idealist. Both endured unimaginable travail with vast reserves of grace -- a feat anyone who has ever lost a love one, understands as heroic. And the images of Coretta Scott King and Jacqueline Kennedy at their respective husbands' funerals have been burned into our collective memory. But that is where it ends. While Bouvier Kennedy had the weight of the presidential seal to ensure that her husband would remain a cherished icon of his native land, Coretta Scott King was left with only the sad history and official amnesia that has greeted black martyrs since that first African decided not to board a slave ship.
Jacqueline Kennedy was free to become Jacqueline Onasis without fear that her husband would be forgotten. Coretta had no such assurances. Ask yourselves how many of us recall and honor Harry T. and Harriet Moore, the NAACP officials who were killed by a firebomb in 1950. Even by 1968, their noble work was remembered as a distant echo. It is possible, in the most ideal of scenarios, that the world had actually been changed by Martin’s work and his vision. But such vague hopes are cold comfort to a grieving wife and wounded extended community.
It was Coretta's will that ensured we carried Martin with us, that his vision continues to be spoken of in the present tense. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-violent Social Change was literally created in the family basement. It was Coretta's undaunted efforts to have Martin's birthday made into a national holiday that solidified her status as a hero in her own right. A student of American history would have no reason to suspect that the nation would honor a slain black man with a national holiday. Coretta believed.
With time, she came to use her status in overtly political ways -- endorsing Walter Mondale over Jesse Jackson in 1984 and publicly challenging the black community to combat homophobia and address the issue of HIV-AIDS. Last month, Coretta made a surprise appearance at a dinner banquet. The audience was shocked that she had mustered the strength to appear in public after suffering a major stroke. But to those of us familiar with her story, there was no reason for surprise. This is the sort of thing that heroes do.
About the AuthorWilliam Jelani Cobb is an assistant professor of history at Spelman College and editor of 'The Essential Harold Cruse.' He also posts articles at wwwjelanicobb.com. You can reach him at creative.ink@jelanicobb.com.
Courtesy of http://www.aol.com/ - black voices Submitted by Shelle' REPOSTED:Original post Jan~2006 @Lovleeannwise 2014 all rights reserved
