Full of the faith that the dark past has taught us….

….full of the hope that the present has brought us.

A Seminary buddy and I were chatting today. We were discussing race in America. Of course this was all in light of today’s present calamity. While we were in the middle of our discussion, well me half discussing and half working, a man that I have the utmost respect came by. This man has been dubbed the Godfather. He is a leader and a man that commands respect through out his community. He’s up in age but probably volunteers more effort than I get paid to give. He has seen and done a lot. He asked me how my plight was and I told him that all is well. My chatty seminary friend decided to continue our race discussion and invite him into it.

Chatter Box: I don’t know how you did it.

Godfather: Did what?

Chatter Box: Put up with the racism of the 50’s and 60’s. I couldn’t have done it.

Godfather: No, you would’ve done it. You had no choice

Godfather: I used to say to my grandmother, while she would be going to clean up at the homes of white people. “Grandma, why are you going to clean up these white peoples houses?” And she would say, “Son, I’m doing this so that one day you won’t have to.”

He went on telling us about the racism that he’s seen but more importantly that he has over come working in the federal government. How he came from Alabama to Washington and rose to a management position in spite of racism. How he dealt with racist superiors and employees. What impressed me so much is that he how he withstood without losing his cool and even won some budding racist over. “It’s in people and they breed it in others”, he told us. “But if you keep working it at it, you’ll see some change.” Now he doesn’t have e-mail and probably won’t ever read this. But he dropped something heavy on me and I sat there admiring the wisdom that he embodied.

Now I talk about race a lot but this gave me hope. That while it seems to be alive and doing well, there are still progress and advancement that can be made on a daily basis, from individual encounter to individual encounter.

Also sobering is the fact that the fight is not over. But the mere fact that my chatty friend had the feeling that she could stand up to racism now a days has something to do with a sacrifice that some one in his day made. Which means we have to fight some fights and make some sacrifices so that generations to follow will feel a little bolder and a little more empowered to change the world.

Since I’m light on words today. I know you’re saying, “If this is light then I hate to see heavy” (See Kanye part 2.) I’m going to give Kanye some shine in one of his better lyrical moments. The conversation I had today reminded me of my father and his college friends driving from Jackson TN. to Memphis to do lunch counter sit-ins in the 60’s.

(BTW he Kanye has a song that’s based off a sample from the legendary revolutionary Gill Scott Heron. Home is where the Hatred is. I used to listen to my daddy’s GSH records on 33 1/3. I had to pick up his greatest hits CD this weekend.) “I left home three days ago, I’m on my way home, and no one seems to know I’m gone, I’m on my way home… and it might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again.”

Never Let Me Down

Kanye West
From his 2004 debut “The College Dropout.”

[Chorus]

When it comes to being true, at least true to me

One thing I found, one thing I found

Oh no you'll neva let me down,

Get up I get (down)

Get up I get (down)

Get up I get (down)

Get up I get (down)

Get up I get (down)

Get up I get (down)

(*Note I cut out Jay-Z's and J-Ivy's verse, although they were hot, this week is about Ye*)

[Kanye West]

I get down for my grandfather who took my momma

Made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat

At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins

And with that in my blood I was born to be different

Now ni$$as can't make it to ballots to chose leadership

But we can make it to Jacobs and to the dealership

That's why I hear new music and I just don't be feelin' it

Racism still alive, they just be concealin' it

But I know they don't want me in the damn club

They even make me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club

I did dirt and went to church to get my hands scrubbed

i swear i've been baptized at least 3 or 4 times

But in the land where ni$$as praise Yukon's and gettin paid

Its gon' take a lot more than coupons to get us saved

Like it take a lot more than do-rags to get your waves

Nothin' sad as that day my girl father passed away

So I promise to Mr. Rainey, I'm gonna marry your daughter

And you know I gotta thank you for they way that she was brought up

And I know that you were smiling when you seen the car I bought her

And you sent tears from heaven when you seen my car get balled up, but

I can't complain what the accident did to my left eye

Cuz look what an accident did to Left Eye

First Aaliyah, now Romeo Must Die?

I know I got angels watchin' me from the other side