Tag Archives: Barack

Black is the New Possibility

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Black Is The New Possibility!

Jan09-4I’m sure everyone remembers where they were this Tuesday at noon.  I was sitting in Fox and Hound surrounded by a room full urban professionals for our OnyxLouisville/Red Carpet event. I was full of emotion simply because of the history that was being made.  That level of pride increased as I looked around the room at the wonderful faces that were present.

We came out, we were proud and the tissue box made it’s rounds.  This was the moment we had been waiting for and the applause at the end of his speech was tremendous. Barack Obama is our president!

Jessica Taylor, Red Carpet Events, thought of a celebratory idea to have a toast. Of course!  I know nothing about the bubbly but know this event is toast worthy. I stood on a chair and asked if anyone wanted to give the speech – there was silence all around.  Crap.  I love to write, but now must speak! Obama told me change was coming, I just didn’t know it would be so soon!

So I held up my champagne glass which held one small gulp and said “This is for the past, present and the future.  Barack Obama is now OUR president”.  Plain. Simple. Yet, oh so true.

Driving home, I thought about what I would have said if I really had time to prepare.  Maybe it would have been the following:  ”This is a toast to our past. Our ancestors fought long and hard to make sure that our people progressed.  They never settled for less and encouraged us to keep moving forward.  This is for those remarkable individuals who, although not physically here, stand with us proud today.  This toast is for the present.  We did this!  Each of our voices and votes made a difference.  Obama has been named our leader, but we must be willing to be followers. This is our commitment to being agents of change.  This toast is for our future – that our current and future children and grandchildren will grow up with the reality (and not the dream) that they honestly can accomplish anything that they set out to do!

I encourage you to click on the link below and share you Inauguration experience and hopes for the future.  Whether in DC, Louisville or in between – if you remember the moment, it’s a moment worth sharing!

Black = possibility!

M.Y. January 2009

Lift Every Voice

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Lift Every Voice

Jan09-3I first want to wish a safe trip to everyone traveling to the DC area of the inauguration.  For those not going, join OnyxLouisville and Red Carpet Events at Fox and Hound to watch the Inauguration speech (see Hot Spots for more information).

For some odd, random, reason I was sitting in church and decided to look the words up in the hymnal to Lift Every Voice And Sing.  It’s one of my favorite songs.  We always sing songs that we’ve memorized, but how often do we really take the time out to analyze what the words mean.  Once I read the words, I realized how important they are to the events occurring next week and in the future.

Obama’s presidency is not the end all, be all.  It’s not the beginning.  It’s a continuation.  We are one step further to accomplishing success in all areas.  I don’t know if it will be ‘politically correct’ but I hope at some point during the festivities our anthem is sung.  I’ve listed the words below and hope you will really think of it’s significance in your life (past, present and future).

Lift Every Voice and Sing
Til earth and heaven ring.
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the
Dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the
present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on ’til victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears
Has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the
Blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
‘Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our of weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by The might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path
We Pray.
Lest of feet stray from the places,
Our God, where we met thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine
Of the world,
We forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

M.Y.  January 2009