"On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged. Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come."
I am a huge fan of Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye was the first assigned reading that I actually read from cover to cover. I devoured it...and remember being so glad to have a reading assignment that actually was about me...about something I could relate to easily.
Not only am I a fan of Morrison's writing but also of her oratory. Periodically I scan the web for interviews or lectures she's given. The below footage is my most recent find.
In reference to the question of whether today's young women, particularly African American women, are able to connect with The Bluest Eye (in the same way that Morrison and women of the 1970s did) she states: "[Young African American Women] seem to be excessively confident in themselves...They don't even know what I'm talking about....."
I am surprised by Toni Morrison's statement. My blogging on this is not meant to be viewed as me pointing the finger at her only, but I guess as more of a launching pad for discussion on collective responsiblility. I've heard it before...when asking elders about a young person's ability to do or think about virtually anything...I've seen that facial expression before. In my view it's a community issue. When elders write off young people's ability to feel or relate then they also (I'm sure unconsciously) shut off major points of dialogue.
Something surreal happened to me at work today. I was doing an activity to help introduce Birmingham's role in the modern Civil Rights Movement. My group consisted of children from the ages 4-16 and they were all attending a summer camp at their church. At the end of the activity...we had a discussion about "the movement" and the people who were involved. The students then followed by asking several questions but one stayed with me:
A young Black girl about 10 years old told me, "It's hard to talk about this stuff...I feel funny going through the museum. What is that funny feeling and will I always have it?"
Her question and the comments of other young people in the room clearly serve as evidence that young people have an ability to connect with their identity in ways which even Toni Morrison (in the above post) and other elders would find hard to imagine.
In response to the young girl's question I basically told her that she was probably feeling her history and that was a good thing. Instead of being afraid she should continue to remember and use her feelings as motivation.
One time Charile Rose was interviewing Toni Morrison and he asked her (paraphrasing here): "Don't you ever get tired and feel weighed down by always writing about heavy race topics like slavery?" Morrsion commented (paraphrasing again), "No. All I have to do is write about the past. They (Slaves) had to live it. The least that I can do is make sure that they are remembered."
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Somewhere in this process is the next step, a bridge, a link to the past. My personal goal is find it and help be a conduit for not just dialgue, but also reasonable action.
This evening I attended a book signing and discussion on the life and political career of the former governor John Patterson. A "former" segregationist, in 1956 Patterson was Alabama's Atty. General and while in office he outlawed all chapters of the NAACP in the state. Later in 1961 the Freedom Riders came through Alabama and Patterson did not provide them with security (thereby granting white supremacists a free pass to assault them in Anniston, Birmingham, and Montgomery).
The program with Patterson tonight was held in the Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr. (named for Birmingham's 1st Black Mayor) Auditorium of the Birmingham Public Library's Central Branch. I went to the program with all these factors in mind and was somewhat disappointed by the passive and somewhat altered process of truth-telling about his time in office.
The program opened with two quotes about Patterson:
"This former governor's life is dramatic history, begging to be told" (Author)
"He has lived a life that only we can dream of having" (Gregg Bass)
A brief summary of Patterson's life followed these statements. A summary which almost completely omitted discussion of his segregationist past. In lieu of discussing the civil rights era, the author stated, "The whole civil rights era has created its own literature which is quite substantial..."
Patterson discussed various aspects of his political life but mostly retold stories about Alabama football, old campaign culture, and he identified a few VIPs who were in the audience. One guy's name escapes me, but he is one of the last living survivors of the US contingent of the Bay of Pigs. Apparently Patterson was good friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr and he sent Alabama troops and military equipment down during the Bay of Pigs. Patterson talked about visiting Kennedy's home in Georgetown whenever he was in D.C. and also eating dinner there with Jack and Jackie. I found it interesting that these two men fraternized considering one was a vocal segregationist and the other is credited for starting the process which lead to the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Former governor Albert Brewer was also in the audience.
During the question and answer time I had some difficulty being recognized by Patterson. There were three points at which my hand was up first and we engaged in eye contact. He ignored me each time, until it was too obvious and too ridiculous to continue without acknowledging me. My question was about his opinion of the current presidential campaign. I really wanted to hear feedback from him on America electing (1) oldest, (2) 1st female, (3) or 1st African American. He's pretty elderly now and his perspective on the US having it's oldest president in the history of of our nation was something that I wanted to hear him talk about. Additionally, Patterson lost his election in 1963 to Lurleen Wallace, Alabama's first female governor. With that experience in mind...I wanted to hear his thoughts of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Lastly, considering his segregationist "past", it would be interesting to consider his feelings about the potential for Barack Obama to reach the presidency.
What I received from John Patterson was in away an advertisement for Barack Obama.........................Patterson is a 'good' politician:
"There was a time for change in the 1960s and Kennedy was about change. Today there is a need for change. Obama is for change."
Later this evening Obama announced that he is the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party's candidacy to the presidency of the United States of America. It's a historic and surreal night.
We drove down to Marion, AL today to see my youngest cousin graduate from high school. He attended Marion Military Institute. I am so proud of him. Below are photos and video footage from the ceremony. The first film is my cousin Danny. He had the distinction of being the first student on program. Danny walking across the stage... The last video is a former graduate singing "You Raised Me Up." I thought about our family and in particular Danny's father who is serving in Iraq right now. Its an honor to upload this film so that he can see his son's ceremony.
The Real News did a special report on the West Virginia election before the votes were cast. This video made me think a great deal of my previous post on white rural(male) working class voters. Something I like about this footage is that it includes discussions on race and somewhat alludes to topics of gender.
I went to Cuba today and had a wonderful time. The drive down from from Birmingham was really pleasant. Yes...I said Birmingham. My job sent me on a trip down to Cuba, Alabama and the whole experience was too great. Here are some photos from the trip.
I attended a program at the Sumter County Welcome Center in Cuba, AL and one of the local high school choir's performed.
Interesting attire for a small town high school choir member....
The insects on the left are called lovebugs by locals. They say that these bugs die after detaching from their 'lovers.' It didn't strike me at the time, but I am now curious about when they produce eggs. If they die after detaching then how do they produce more lovebugs?
Why is this place called Cuba, AL? I met Linda Munoz, an amazing glass and mosaics artist from York, AL, and she agreed to share the history. I apologize all for my horrible editing at the end...the ending is a bit awkward.
It's amazing what you can find on the internet. My father is the guy in the center (behind the sweetheart). Akindelas was a service organization. It's mission statement is below:
MISSION STATEMENT
The primary mission of the AKINDELAS Fraternity is to pursue solutions and resolutions to health, economic and community development issues that effect the Afro-American community. Our objectives include finding revenue streams, providing education and other resources to combat the effects of disease and practices that inflect suffering in our neighborhoods.
We shall further pursue areas that enhance our communities by recognizing academic achievement and support of local charities.
I am becoming more and more bothered by the language of pundits during this campaign. Whether trailing "Obama's black vote," or tallying "Clinton's female vote," the tedious and annoying process of viewing these candidates' as monolithic beings is doing a horrible disservice to the democratic process. Equally as annoying is the call that CNN, MSNBC, and other news agencies have put out to white rural (male) working class voters. I guess it makes sense...If you're not female OR black, then..... how do you decide who to vote for?!
For me the most frustrating thing about pundits leading the discussion about Democrat's seeking the white (male) rural working class vote is that they completely discount the history of this population's voting trends. This group left the party in three large waves:
(1) When Truman added a civil rights plank to his campaign the Dixiecrat party was established in protest .
(2) Kennedy made a call to Mrs. Coretta Scott King for support during his 1960 election and many Dixiecrats/States Rights Party members moved even farther to the right.
(3) Many (but not all) of the 'loyal' white rural (male) working class voters that remained with the Democratic Party did so in hopes of seeing it return to it's old 'Bourbon Rule Democrat' roots. By the 1980s some of them became Republicans, but again many of the ones that remained with the Democratic Party stayed in name only. They quickly became known as Reagan Democrats.
So, I guess my question to the political pundits is how and why would Obama or Clinton pursue these votes, especially considering the fact that this group has not historically been supportive of civil rights. And to qualify my use of the term civil rights...I'm not talking about the racialized 1954-1968 usage of the word. I mean "civil rights," the rights of citizens. Rooted in the 14th amendment and helping to push for the rights of people regardless of color, gender, and ability. It's not popular to say, but deep down I feel that most white rural (male) working class voters do not support the Democratic Party because of their history of bigotry and greed. Why is this so hard for those in the mainstream media to see and when will the election conversation turn back to real issues?
So...I am excited about setting up this blog because a lot runs through my head and I think it will be fun and interesting to share some things online. I definitely welcome feedback and hope to post topics which deserve more than a passing notice.
With that said, to give a blog a title like More Than a Passing Notice has left me a little shy about my first post. So....let's talk about procrastination. This topic is a great idea handed down by a friend. The number one thing to limit people from reaching their goals (big or small) is fear. What cures fear? Action.
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